Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder

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£4.95 | July 2015 | Issue 131

Incorporating

Blooming marvellous Barry Hills reflects on his remarkable career

Plus • Andrew Franklin discusses life after Channel 4 Racing • Grundy v Bustino: 40 years after the race of the century • Aston Mullins Stud’s Classic fairytale with Make Believe

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Australia_TBOB_DPS_Jul15_TBOB_DPS 17/06/2015 14:32 Page 1

James Underwood’s Review of 2014

HORSE OF THE YEAR

the most demanding AUSTRALIA’s achievements in owest of advantages sphere of the sport gave him the narr ing racehorse, for tand over Kingman, yet another outs showed in the and bies Der this award.....won two was a wonderful Juddmonte International that he es in effortless style. racehorse when beating older hors

Galileo - Ouija Board His outstanding first book of mares includes 61 Group winners or Group producers - 19 at Group 1 level!

• AUSTRALIA • CAMELOT • CANFORD CLIFFS • EXCELEBRATION • FOOTSTEPSINTHESAND • GALILEO • HENRYTHENAVIGATOR • • HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR • KINGSBARNS • MASTERCRAFTSMAN • MOST IMPROVED • NO NAY NEVER • POUR MOI • POWER • REQUINTO • RIP VAN WINKLE • ROCK OF GIBRALTAR • • RULER OF THE WORLD • SO YOU THINK • THEWAYYOUARE • WAR COMMAND • ZOFFANY •

Australia_TBOB_DPS_Jul15_TBOB_DPS 17/06/2015 14:33 Page 2

Contact: Coolmore Stud, Fethard, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, Ireland. Tel: 353-52-6131298. Fax: 353-52-6131382. Christy Grassick, David O’Loughlin, Eddie Fitzpatrick, Tim Corballis, Maurice Moloney, Gerry Aherne, Mathieu Legars or Jason Walsh. Tom Gaffney, David Magnier, Joe Hernon or Cathal Murphy: 353-25-31966/31689. Kevin Buckley (UK Rep.) 44-7827-795156.

E-mail: sales@coolmore.ie Web site: www.coolmore.com All stallions nominated to EBF.

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WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR Publisher: Michael Harris Editor: Edward Rosenthal Bloodstock Editor: Emma Berry Designed by: Thoroughbred Group Editorial: First Floor, 75 High Holborn, London WC1V 6LS Tel: 020 7152 0209 Fax: 020 7152 0213 editor@ownerbreeder.co.uk www.ownerbreeder.co.uk @OwnerBreeder

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Advertising: Giles Anderson Tel: 01380 816 777 USA: 1 888 218 4430 Fax: 01380 816 778 advertise@anderson-co.com Subscriptions: Keely Brewer Tel: 020 7152 0212 Fax: 020 7152 0213 subscriptions@ownerbreeder.co.uk Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder incorporating Pacemaker can be purchased by non-members at the following rates: 1 Year 2 Year UK £55 £90 Europe £66 £105 RoW £99 £154 Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder incorporating Pacemaker is published by a Mutual Trading Company owned jointly by the Racehorse Owners Association and Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association The Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association is a registered charity No. 1134293 Editorial views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the ROA or TBA ABC Audited Our proven average monthly circulation is certified by the Audit Bureau of Circulation at 9,340* *Based on the period July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014.

Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Stanstead House, The Avenue, Newmarket CB8 9AA Tel: 01638 661 321 Fax: 01638 665621 info@thetba.co.uk • www.thetba.co.uk

Incorporating

Blooming marvellous Barry Hills reflects on his remarkable career

Plus • Andrew Franklin discusses life after Channel 4 Racing • Grundy v Bustino: 40 years after the race of the century • Aston Mullins Stud’s Classic fairytale with Make Believe

yan Moore was widely recognised as the world’s best jockey before this year’s Royal Ascot haul of nine winners, a modern-day record that edged him one ahead of the totals achieved

by Lester Piggott (twice) and Pat Eddery. Surely there cannot be any doubters left now.

For one man to capture almost a third of the races at British racing’s flagship and most competitive Flat fixture is a remarkable achievement. Granted a little more luck he could even have been chasing down Fred Archer’s all-time tally of 12 victories at a single royal meeting, achieved in 1878. George Selwyn’s brilliant photographs capture all the drama and prestige of Royal Ascot (The Big Picture, pages 20-27).

Moore’s reserved demeanour on the racecourse is in stark contrast to that of his profession’s most recognisable face, Frankie Dettori, who also enjoyed a good week in Berkshire to follow up his Derby triumph on Golden Horn.

While different personalities, both men are invaluable to racing, not only in their natural talent on horseback but in their ability to give our sport a bigger profile in the wider media. It is unlikely we will ever see Moore attempting a flying dismount after a big-race triumph, but that doesn’t mean victory means any less to him.

Moore has been crowned champion jockey on three occasions – that total would almost certainly be higher but for injury – however, even after the recent changes to the Flat season dates, there are no guarantees he will ever win a fourth title. Is he concerned? Probably not.

Flat racing is a global sport, now more than ever, and Moore has long been enthralled by the challenge of international competition. In an interview with this magazine two years ago, he explained that the four races he would most like to win were the Kentucky Derby, Dubai World Cup, Japan Cup and Melbourne Cup. He has since claimed those last two.

With his big-race services in demand from owners

and trainers all over the world, is it any wonder that the prospect of travelling up and down the country, day after day, simply for ‘a winner’, holds significantly less appeal than it once did?

The man with the most individual victories next to his name at the end of the season should be applauded for his efforts but times have changed and there is little doubt that the title of ‘champion jockey’ on the Flat means less now than it did a generation ago.

Forty years ago, those lucky enough to be in attendance at Ascot on July 26, 1975 witnessed the ‘Race of the Century’, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, which saw a battle of the generations between three-year-old Grundy and four-year-old Bustino, plus some other very talented rivals.

Our columnist Tony Morris was watching events unfold from the stands that day and recalls the build-up to one of the most breathtaking but brutal races ever seen on a British racecourse (pages 50-54).

Tony recalls once asking Lester Piggott to pick the best horse he had ridden. Piggott, furnished with a bottle of champagne for his time, opted not for any of his nine Derby winners, as one may have expected, but for Rheingold, whom he partnered to a brilliant victory in the 1973 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, for a young trainer called Barry Hills.

More than 3,000 winners later and Hills is still going strong, having returned to the training ranks last year following the death of his son John. In a superb interview with Julian Muscat (pages 40-44), he looks back over his outstanding career in what may be his final season with a licence. On the matter of the best horse he has seen during his lifetime in the sport, Hills finds himself in agreement with Piggott.

“I saw Tudor Minstrel win the 2,000 Guineas and he was every bit as impressive as Frankel,” he says. “Sea-Bird was a wonder-horse who won the Derby on the bridle, but I have always felt that on the day Rheingold won the Arc, no horse could have beaten him.”

“Flat racing is a

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£4.95 | July 2015 | Issue 131

Desire for Moore reflects modern racing generation R

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Cover: Barry Hills in his garden at his Lambourn home Photo: George Selwyn

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global sport and he is enthralled by the international challenge

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Jul_131_Contents2_Contents 24/06/2015 09:28 Page 4

CONTENTS JULY 2015

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NEWS & VIEWS

FEATURES

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10

ROA Leader Attracting a wider audience

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TBA Leader Farewell from Richard Lancaster

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News Newcastle abandons turf

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Golden Horn and Qualify

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TBA NH Awards Changes Tony Morris Golden Horn’s fast forefathers

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INTERNATIONAL SCENE 32 34

50 56

Aston Mullins Stud British breeders of Make Believe

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Sales Circuit Store sales underway

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Caulfield Files Fastnet Rock’s purple patch

Continental Tales German no-go for Australia; Enrique Leon looks to future

Grundy v Bustino Race of the Century re-lived

View From Ireland Galway diversion a headache

Talking To...

Former Channel 4 Racing supremo Andrew Franklin

Howard Wright Don’t scrimp on integrity

COVER STORY The Big Interview With trainer Barry Hills

Your news in a nutshell

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The Big Picture Action from Royal Ascot

Coneygree triumphs

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Epsom Classics

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Dr Statz Stayers better rewarded

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Around The Globe A Triple Crown hero at last; cobalt cases down under

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24 Hours With...

Amy Starkey

Frankie Dettori was in flying form at Epsom and Royal Ascot

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BLOODLINES Simply the right policy – without the fuss We are able to provide cover for: All risks of mortality Theft Stallion’s congenital or permanent infertility Broodmare barrenness Prospective foal Foals from 24 hours

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Yearlings unsoundness of wind Horses at grass

FORUM 70

ROA Forum Opportunity for members to visit Frankel

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TBA Forum Stars shine at Hannon regional day

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LEADING THE FIELD IN BLOODSTOCK INSURANCE

Breeder of the Month Juddmonte Farms for New Bay; Special Merit Award for Aston Mullins Stud

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Next Generation Club The National Stud Diploma Course

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Vet Forum

TO STAY AHEAD OF

Castrating horses in training

THE FIELD

DATA BOOK 89

European Pattern

CONTACT US

Latest winners

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Stallion Statistics

TODAY

Dark Angel soars

Our monthly circulation is certified at

9,340 Can other magazines prove theirs?

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ROA LEADER

RACHEL HOOD President Racehorse Owners Association

Wider audience essential if our sport is to prosper Racecourses must work with each other and BHA to maximise attendances

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t was with great interest that I read Richard Hughes’s recent column in the Racing Post in which he protested at the prospect of Sandown moving its high-quality Brigadier Gerard Stakes evening meeting to a Saturday.

Putting aside the rather surprising coincidence that I am the part-owner of this year’s Brigadier Gerard Stakes winner, Western Hymn, I have a lot of sympathy with Richard’s sentiments in decrying the fact that this move would simply compound the problem of too much high-class racing being held on Saturdays, leaving the midweek fare increasingly bereft of quality horses, with the obvious exception of the festival meetings.

Richard went on to compare the sort of dedicated “racing people” that were largely in attendance at Sandown that evening with the type of crowd that is often made up of oncein-a-lifetime racegoers who are unlikely to have any real interest in our sport – especially those attracted by music nights or being part of a stag or hen night.

It is true that those of us who are close to racing also find it easy to sympathise with Richard’s views that we should be looking after our core customers – particularly the owners – rather than directing marketing spend towards trying to get anyone and everyone onto a racecourse.

But, while there are occasions when regular racegoers and industry people are understandably irritated by a large so-called non-racing crowd, it doesn’t do for racing insiders to be too purist about such things.

Nobody for a moment condones the sort of boozy, yobbish behaviour you occasionally see on the racecourse, but, at the same time, racecourses can hardly be blamed for wanting to attract the biggest possible attendances. Even putting commercial considerations aside, it is the crowd, not the venue, that creates the all-important racing atmosphere and a nearempty racecourse is usually a pretty soulless experience.

Also, within every group of people attracted to the

racecourse for the first time, just a few will return and one or two will become dedicated racing fans. It is these people who become the sort of followers of the sport that Richard quite rightly admires and who would largely constitute the attendance at that wonderful evening meeting at Sandown.

Some would even become racehorse owners.

It is also surely wrong to criticise the BHA for wanting to market horseracing to a wider audience, especially as racing’s governing authority, bizarrely, has relatively little flexibility when it comes to when and where fixtures take place and what constitutes their race programmes.

Of course, in a perfect world, the BHA would call the tune in this whole area. They would have the final say over when a racecourse could race and the sort of programme it could put on. The current ludicrous geographical clashes of fixtures would be squeezed from the system; the BHA would find it much easier to keep the lid on the number of fixtures generally, in particular on the all-weather; and the allocation of fixtures could be based on a system that created the maximum benefit for the sport as a whole, while spreading the horse population in such a way that very small fields and uncompetitive racing would be a thing of the past.

Legal constraints, as well as parochial in-fighting, are always likely to frustrate us in finding this utopian world, but there is at least much more encouragement these days that some of the more enlightened racecourses and racecourse groups can see that what is beneficial to the whole industry is, in the long term, likely to be more beneficial to them.

Encouraging people to go racing, to watch racing on television and to bet on racing represents the only ways through which we can draw large numbers of people into our sport. First and foremost racing is an entertainment and the annoyances that may sometimes come from bringing new people into our world are as nothing to the consequences of not having them there at all.

“It is the crowd, not

the venue, that creates the atmosphere – an empty racecourse is a soulless experience

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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Other TBA membership benefits include tours of yards and studs, social events, seminars, race meetings and networking forums, as well as advice and support.

To register, email info@thetba.co.uk or call for more details.

01638 661321

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Jul_131_TBA_Leader_TBA 23/06/2015 17:54 Page 9

TBA LEADER

RICHARD LANCASTER Chairman Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association

Reflecting on a busy but rewarding time in office Julian Richmond-Watson is well armed to oversee TBA board and executive

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o-one said that taking over as Chairman of the TBA from Kirsten Rausing would be easy. Kirsten’s inimitable leadership made her a hard act to follow, but I hope that members in particular and the racing and breeding industry in general will agree that over the ensuing three years we have built on the solid foundations she created.

They have been three years of further evolvement for British racing, with important changes at the head of the BHA and continuing discussions about funding, and three busy years for the TBA, as the decline in foal crops following the recession began to steady encouragingly.

While racecourse events, sales promotions, educational forums and regional stud visits represent the public face of the TBA, much of the work of the board and its executive goes on behind the scenes. That fact quickly became apparent when I began to juggle TBA commitments with my day-job diary.

Without proper preparation, safeguarding breeders’ interests would be impossible, particularly where they risk becoming entangled in the red tape that seems to be in plentiful supply when government and EU officials turn their attention to equine matters.

Retaining Notifiable Disease Status for CEM and EVA, and maintaining CAP eligibility for horse breeding might not be obvious headline-grabbers, but they were achieved in 2014 through being armed with the right information and working with the right departments. Both would have had alarming consequences for breeders had first intentions been realised.

In similar vein, the TBA took the lead in highlighting anomalies in the BHA’s zero-tolerance policy on anabolic steroids. There is still work to be done in this area.

Looking back over the TBA’s achievements since 2012, several have given particular satisfaction. None was more important to explain the current status of the breeding industry than the March 2014 publication of the Economic Impact Study, and none more significant for the future of

British racing than the Stayers Report, published this spring.

Both demonstrated that the work of the TBA, while firmly focused on members’ interests, goes beyond the parochial and encompasses more than a single topic. They highlighted underlying progress that I have attempted to engender and we have managed to achieve as an organisation that rightfully sits at British racing administration’s top table.

And now it’s time to welcome Julian Richmond-Watson into the hot seat. He is not unfamiliar with taking up positions of huge responsibility in British racing, having served in a number of prominent positions, including as Senior Steward of the Jockey Club at a time of huge change.

He has worked closely with me as Vice-Chairman, most notably in launching the Stayers Review and its subsequent report, and is ideally placed to pick up the challenges that lie ahead, not least in areas that might not be immediately obvious to all TBA members, never mind those outside the organisation, such as veterinary and regulatory administration, education and training, and race programming.

Much still needs to be done to build on the work the TBA has done through the Economic Impact Study and the Stayers Report, not least in promoting fillies and mares in jump racing, and Julian can be relied upon to remain vigilant that the voice of breeders continues to be heard in the right quarters.

However, since breeders are optimists by nature, I will not be the only one who has noticed some encouraging signs for the future.

As I mentioned earlier, the decline in foal numbers has steadied, and there can be no better boost for the business and pleasure of bringing horses into the world than to look back over the scenes of pure joy that followed the successes of Coneygree in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Golden Horn in the Derby – both homebred, and both foaled down in Britain.

I wish Julian and all breeders, big and small, every success in the coming three years.

“The work of the

TBA, while focused on members’ interests, goes beyond the parochial

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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EPSOM REVIEW

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INVESTEC DERBY

FRANKIE TAKES GOLD He was the cover star of last month’s magazine and Golden Horn proved just the ticket in the world’s greatest Flat race, the Investec Derby, with the globe’s most famous jockey Frankie Dettori doing a polished job to ensure Anthony Oppenheimer’s homebred a place on the coveted roll of honour. No jockey celebrates a big victory with as much gusto as Dettori (pictured below with Mr Oppenheimer (right), trainer John Gosden (left) and Investec boss Bernard Kantor), who described his second Derby win as the biggest thrill of his career Photos George Selwyn

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EPSOM REVIEW

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INVESTEC OAKS

FROM RAG TO RICHES Qualify was the complete outsider of the 11 runners in the Investec Oaks but defied her 50-1 odds by catching hot favourite Legatissimo close home in a driving finish, with the Colm O’Donoghue-ridden filly edging out Ryan Moore’s mount to become the cobiggest-priced winner of the Epsom Classic. For trainer Aidan O’Brien, it was a fifth Oaks success Photo George Selwyn

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NEWS Stories from the racing world

Walking The Courses hits £100,000 mark

Howay with the turf: Newcastle is saying goodbye to grass

Newcastle gets green light to build all-weather track BHA accepts ARC’s proposal to replace its famous Flat turf

T

he Northumberland Plate, Newcastle’s famous two-mile heritage handicap, has been staged on turf for the final time after the BHA sanctioned the Flat track’s conversion to an all-weather surface in 2016.

Arena Racing Company, which owns Newcastle, has faced fierce criticism over the plans to dig up its famous turf, described by trainer Ed Vaughan as “one of the best courses in the country,” although there is almost unanimous agreement amongst horsemen that the north is badly in need of an all-weather racecourse.

ARC will invest £11 million into Newcastle’s transformation, with floodlights being installed on the straight mile, modernisation of the stable yard and vets’ facilities, refurbishment of the saddling boxes and pre-parade ring, plus a new restaurant planned.

Last year the BHA dashed ARC’s allweather ambitions due to an issue around race distances. However this has been overcome by staging races at earlier times during twilight fixtures.

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Outgoing ARC Managing Director Tony Kelly said: “This is a very exciting time for Newcastle racecourse. We embarked on this investment plan three years ago and are pleased we now have everything in place to start the work in the autumn.

“I understand and sympathise that there are some in the sport who will be sad to see a turf track converted to all-weather, but the many benefits of ARC’s investment will ensure Newcastle can make an even more valuable contribution to British racing in the years to come.”

There is as yet no decision on which type of all-weather surface ARC will opt for at Newcastle. Michael Dickinson’s Tapeta, which replaced Polytrack at ARC-owned Wolverhampton when that track was re-laid last year, is one of the options available.

Meanwhile, officials at Catterick racecourse, having stated their own desire to install an all-weather track, are set to apply for planning consent and “await developments” according to John Sanderson, Chief Executive of International Racecourse Management, which runs the course.

Two months into his quest to visit every racecourse in Britain on foot, Richard Farquhar has broken through the £100,000 barrier in donations.

Farquhar, whose father died of pancreatic cancer in 2012, has undertaken the challenge in aid of Pancreatic Cancer UK and Racing Welfare.

Having started at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile in April, he has now walked to almost a third of Britain’s racecourses, clocking up over 800 miles. Once arrived, he walks a lap of each track – hence the Walking The Courses title.

In total Farquhar will cover approximately 2,750 miles, with the final walk planned for April 14, 2016 at the Craven meeting, back at Newmarket.

Many racing personalities have pledged their support, including broadcaster and author Clare Balding, Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer Oliver Sherwood and Racing Post journalist Lee Mottershead.

To donate or to find out more visit walkingthecourses.com Richard Farquhar: enjoying the challenge

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The commitment of Sheikh Fahad Al Thani and his brothers to British racing has been underlined by QIPCO’s enhanced sponsorship of the British Champions Series until 2024 as part of a landmark deal thought to be worth around £50 million.

Under the new agreement, QIPCO has also extended its backing of Newmarket’s Guineas races, with both rising in value to £500,000 from 2016, and cemented its official partner status with Ascot racecourse, home to British Champions Day, which will offer total prizemoney of £5m within a decade.

Sheikh Hamad Al Thani, Chief Executive of QIPCO, said: “We are privileged to have built an association with world renowned events such as Royal Ascot and British Champions Series, the very best of British racing.

“Our sponsorship of the sport has benefited our bloodstock operation and increased the company’s international profile. We are proud to support British racing and its wonderful heritage.”

QIPCO is a private investment company owned by six Al Thani brothers and is separate to Qatar’s sponsorship of the Goodwood festival and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Qatar Racing is a subsidiary of QIPCO and now has over 260 horses in training worldwide, while its bloodstock operation at David Redvers’

LAURENCE SQUIRE

QIPCO’s £50m landmark sponsorship deal

Sheikh Fahad Al Thani has become a major player in British racing and breeding

Tweenhills Stud includes stallions Charm Spirit, Havana Gold, Harbour Watch and Makfi, the last-named standing this season in France under the Aga Khan banner.

Sheikh Fahad Al Thani, Qatar Racing’s Chairman and driving force, said: “My brothers and I share a passion for thoroughbred racing, and British racing in particular. Nowhere else

can match the quality and heritage of racing in Britain, which is why we chose to base our racing and breeding operations here.

“It is in our interests to promote the quality of British racing as the value of the horses we race and the stallions we stand is enhanced if they are competing in the country with the best racing in the world.”

Northern Ireland courses face an uncertain future The future of Northern Ireland’s racecourses, Down Royal and Downpatrick, has been cast into doubt by a funding crisis.

The set-up in Northern Ireland is unlike the system in place in the rest of the UK, and Ireland, in that it is fees paid by betting shops that underpins prize-money and finance for facilities at the two tracks.

Down Royal is the flagship course, hosting the Champion Chase in November, which is often the starting point for Gold Cup types and has been supported by British champion trainer Paul Nicholls each year since 2007.

The legendary Kauto Star was a two-time winner, while high-class Road To Riches, third in this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup, was the latest victor.

However, simply carrying on has become the focus for both tracks in the wake of the money THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

paid by each shop in the province falling to £1,123 from £2,000. The inevitable consequent shortfall has put huge pressure on track finances.

Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) is hoping to resolve the crisis before the end of the year.

The department is engaged in dialogue with representatives of both tracks, as well as members of the bookmakers’ association, NI Turf Guardians.

The £2,000 payment was a five-year agreement that started in 2010, and shops have now reverted to the previous £1,123 fee.

DARD hopes that talks will lead to a new fee being agreed that is acceptable to bookmakers while at the same time enabling the two racecourses to be viable concerns.

Kauto Star: two Down Royal wins

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NEWS

National Hunt breeders’ achievements celebrated at inaugural TBA dinner

T

he Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (TBA) celebrated a remarkably successful year for British National Hunt breeders at the inaugural TBA NH Breeders Dinner and Awards ceremony in May. The evening, generously sponsored by DBS, was the first of its kind to honour breeders of the best British NH-bred horses of the 2014/15 season. Guests enjoyed an evening applauding award winners from nine categories. Each category honoured one winning breeder, selected from three nominees, from a secret ballot run by the TBA NH Committee.

Commenting on the occasion, Robert Waley Cohen, Chairman of the TBA NH Committee, said: “This celebration dinner is the result of a new TBA NH Committee initiative, so we were thrilled to see it become such a success.

“We are extremely grateful for the support of DBS, both financially and in helping organise the event, as well as the individual sponsors who backed each award.

“It’s not often we are able to gather the breeders together, acknowledge their successes and celebrate the best of British NH breeding. We are so pleased that everyone had such an enjoyable time.”

TBA National Hunt Awards 2015 Winners CONEYGREE Mickley Trophy for the Leading Novice Chaser and Pitchall Trophy for the Leading Chaser THE LATE LORD OAKSEY

LIEUTENANT COLONEL Highflyer Trophy for the Leading Hurdler HEATHER CALZINI

SIZING JOHN Shade Oak Trophy for the Leading Novice Hurdler BRYAN and SANDRA MAYOH

YANWORTH Yorton Trophy for the Leading NH Flat Horse BILL and DIANA BROMLEY

HIGHLAND RETREAT Overbury Trophy for the Leading Chase Mare RICHARD BRIDGES

BITOFAPUZZLE Little Lodge Trophy for the Leading Hurdles Mare and Beech Tree Trophy for the Leading Novice Hurdles Mare ROBERT and SHIRLEY CARTER

HOLLIES PEARL Mill House Trophy for the Leading NH Flat Mare PETER and EMMA HOCKENHULL Gold Cup hero Coneygree bagged the top chasing awards for the late Lord Oaksey

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Richard Kent with Lady Oaksey, whose late husband Lord Oaksey bred the season’s outstanding chaser Coneygree

Anthony Bromley with Heather Calzini, breeder of leading hurdler Lieutenant Colonel, and Tessa Greatrex

Bryan Mayoh (left) accepts his trophy from Peter Hockenhull following the achievements of top novice hurdler Sizing John

David Futter presents the Yorton Trophy to Bill Bromley (right), breeder of leading NH flat horse Yanworth

Richard Bridges (right), breeder of Highland Retreat, collects the trophy for leading chase mare from Simon Sweeting

Allan Munnis (left) with Shirley and Robert Carter, breeders of Bitofapuzzle, the leading mare in two categories

Peter and Emma Hockenhull, who bred leading NH flat mare Hollies Pearl, accept their trophy from David Minton (right)

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in association with

Racing’s news in a nutshell PEOPLE AND BUSINESS Louis Romanet Re-elected as Chairman of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), a position he has held since 1994.

Christopher Spence Steps down from the board at Newbury racecourse, with Channel 4 Racing’s Jim McGrath replacing him.

Jeremiah McGrath Jump jockey suffers fractured vertebrae after being brought down at Down Royal and faces around six weeks on the sidelines.

Philip Mitchell Charles Barnett Former Chief Executive of Ascot racecourse is appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in the Queen’s birthday honours list.

Brian Toomey Jump jockey who suffered serious head injuries following a fall at Perth in 2013 is cleared to ride again by the BHA’s Chief Medical Adviser Jerry Hill.

Jim Allen Racing Director for ARC will depart before the end of the year to start a training career in the USA; Stephen Higgins will take over his responsibilities.

Peter Makin Trainer, 71, will retire at the end of the season after a 48-year career; he sent out Elbio to win the King’s Stand Stakes twice.

General Manager of Juddmonte Farms will step down after 27 years with Khalid Abdullah’s organisation.

King George prize fund Prize-money for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes boosted by £150,000 to £1.15 million.

Garrett Gomez Dual US champion jockey, who has not ridden since October 2013, announces his retirement on Facebook aged 43.

Also...

Ronald Thompson returns to the training ranks aged 76 after eight-year absence from his old yard at Stainforth, Doncaster with the support of businessman Phil Slater. Promising apprentice Ali Rawlinson breaks his left hand in a gallops accident and will be out of action for six weeks. Former trainer Kate Walton will receive a compensation settlement from the BHA after corruption charges were dropped in March. Former apprentice Matthew Hopkins is charged with gambling activities while he was riding. Newmarket trainer Michael Squance, 48, relinquishes licence after seven years. Kate Hills, Arena Racing Company’s Director of Public Relations and Communications, leaves the organisation after 15 years and is named Plumpton Chief Executive.

Milton Harris, the former trainer whose request to renew his licence was refused by the BHA in 2011, has his application for a new licence rejected by the BHA. Ascot racecourse records £3.1 million profit in 2014 – up from £178,000 in 2013 – after strong performance in racing, catering, hospitality and conference events. Betfair sees its pre-tax profits soar by 32% to £120.2m after an “excellent” year according to the firm’s Chief Executive Breon Corcoran. Barry Geraghty becomes the new retained jockey for owner JP McManus following the retirement of AP McCoy in April.

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THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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RACEHORSE AND STALLION MOVEMENTS AND RETIREMENTS Nanton Grand campaigner is retired aged 13; he won 14 races between a mile and a mile and six furlongs, latterly for the Jim Goldie stable and Johnnie Delta Racing.

Cinders And Ashes

Scalzo

Winner of the 2012 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle for the Donald McCain stable and owners Dermot Hanafin and Phil Cunningham is retired aged eight.

Three-year-old sprinter trained by Martyn Meade is bought privately by owner Hamdan Al Maktoum.

Birchwood

King Of Rooks

Talented juvenile son of Dark Angel, winner of his first two races, is bought privately by Godolphin and stays in training with Richard Fahey.

Speedy two-year-old son of Acclamation is bought by Al Shaqab Racing, who also purchase a 50% share in juvenile filly Easton Angel with Michael Dods.

Al Shaqab Racing’s high-class daughter of Dubawi, winner of the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes as a juvenile, is retired aged four and is in foal to Toronado.

Owner/breeder and trainer whose best horse was Grey Desire, winner of the Abernant Stakes and Duke of York Stakes in the mid-1980s.

Dabirsim Son of Hat Trick, the champion two-yearold of 2011, moves from Gestut Karlshof in Germany to Haras de Grandcamp in France.

Daphne Lilley 92

Helped establish Ladbrokes as one of the leading bookmakers, working as an odds compiler and PR director.

Christopher Morris 30 Son of Irish trainer Mouse Morris dies in Argentina from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.

Bahamian Bounty

Al Thakhira

Mel Brittain 71

Ron Pollard 89

The oldest jumper in training runs his last race aged 17, having won 14 times from 83 starts, latterly in the care of Richard Lee.

Dual Group 1-winning sprinter and sire of top-class duo Pastoral Pursuits and Goodricke is retired from covering duties at the National Stud aged 21.

PEOPLE OBITUARIES

The longest-serving member of the Racehorse Owners Association who bred 1974 Derby winner Snow Knight with husband Claude.

Victory Gunner

Richard Mulhall 76 Former US trainer who was Racing Manager for The Thoroughbred Corporation, which owned star duo Point Given and War Emblem.

John Webb 77 Oxfordshire trainer in the 1970s and 80s when Paul Barton was his main jockey; later owned horses with David Gandolfo and Sean Curran.

Majestic Queen Five-year-old daughter of Kheleyf, placed in Group 2 company, tops the Goffs London Sale when selling for £825,000 to Godolphin.

Pleascach Daughter of Teofilo, this year’s Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine, is purchased privately from breeder Jim Bolger by Godolphin.

HORSE OBITUARIES Saptapadi 9 Ballymacoll Stud-bred son of Indian Ridge, trained by Sir Michael Stoute and later Brian Ellison, for whom he ran in the 2011 Melbourne Cup.

Willcox Inn 7 Son of Harlan’s Holiday, winner of the Grade 2 American Derby, dies in a paddock accident during his first season at stud.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Winged Love 23 Irish Derby winner who became a successful National Hunt stallion, siring multiple Grade 1 winners Twist Magic and Bostons Angel.

Takeover Target 15 Outstanding Australian sprinter trained by Joe Janiak, winner of seven Group 1s including the 2006 King’s Stand Stakes.

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Jul_131_BigPic-FreeEagle_Owner Breeder 24/06/2015 08:49 Page 20

THE BIG PICTURE

Jul_131_BigPic-FreeEagle_Owner Breeder 24/06/2015 08:50 Page 21

ROYAL ASCOT

EAGLE LANDS PRIZE The Prince of Wales’s Stakes had an international flavour with Australia, Japan and France fielding runners. However, it was the Dermot Weld-trained Free Eagle, making his seasonal reappearance, who swooped under Pat Smullen to take the prize back to Ireland. Jamie Spencer endured a troubled passage on The Grey Gatsby and despite finishing fast, failed by a short-head to reel in the winner Photo George Selwyn

Jul_131_BigPic-Other_v2_Owner Breeder 24/06/2015 08:52 Page 22

THE BIG PICTURE

Goldream (centre) denies Medicean Man (nearside) by a short-head in the King’s Stand Stakes under Martin Harley

ROYAL APPROVAL Graham Lee receives his trophy from the Queen after his Gold Cup victory on the Ed Dunlop-trained Trip To Paris, owned by the La Grange Partnership.

He became the first jockey to win both the Gold Cup and the Grand National, making the switch to the Flat in 2012 Photos George Selwyn

Jul_131_BigPic-Other_v2_Owner Breeder 24/06/2015 08:52 Page 23

ROYAL ASCOT

The Charlie Hills-trained Muhaarar and Dane O’Neill post a striking victory in the inaugural Commonwealth Cup

Jul_131_BigPic-RyanMoore_Owner Breeder 24/06/2015 08:54 Page 24

THE BIG PICTURE

Waterloo Bridge, Norfolk Stakes

GM Hopkins, Royal Hunt Cup

Acapulco, Queen Mary Stakes

Washington DC, Windsor Castle Stakes

Jul_131_BigPic-RyanMoore_Owner Breeder 24/06/2015 08:54 Page 25

ROYAL ASCOT

MOORE RIDING TALENT Royal Ascot showcased Ryan Moore’s abilities on the big stage with Coolmore’s number one rider bagging a modern-day record of nine winners.

The first, and perhaps most impressive, of his haul was Gleneagles, with the son of Galileo producing a sublime performance to capture the St James’s Palace Stakes (main image) Photos George Selwyn

Clondaw Warrior (nearside), Ascot Stakes

Curvy, Ribblesdale Stakes

War Envoy, Britannia Stakes

Aloft, Queen’s Vase

Jul_131_BigPic-International_v2_Owner Breeder 24/06/2015 08:55 Page 26

THE BIG PICTURE

INTERNATIONAL APPEAL They came from far and wide to try and grab a slice of Royal Ascot glory. Solow (above) only had to negotiate the Channel and the Freddy Head-trained gelding, racing for the Wertheimer brothers, returned home a hero after proving too good for his seven rivals in the Queen Anne Stakes, much to the delight of jockey Maxime Guyon Photos George Selwyn

Jul_131_BigPic-International_v2_Owner Breeder 24/06/2015 08:55 Page 27

ROYAL ASCOT

Clockwise from above: Christophe Soumillon drives Ervedya (right) to a narrow success in the Coronation Stakes; US trainer Wesley Ward is all smiles after Acapulco produces a blistering performance in the Queen Mary Stakes; Frankie Dettori jumps for joy after riding the Wesley Ward-trained Undrafted to victory in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes; Suits You and Cristian Demuro (6) deny Ballydoyle and Ryan Moore in the Chesham Stakes for former UK-based handler Eoghan O’Neill

Jul_131_Tony_Morris_Owner 24/06/2015 08:56 Page 28

THE MAN YOU CAN’T IGNORE COMMENT

Tony Morris Golden Horn stayed the Derby distance strongly to run out an impressive winner, but his not being initially considered for the Classic is entirely understandable based on pedigree

28

GEORGE SELWYN

F

or many years after World War II the breeding pundits used to tell us that a colt with pretensions to Derby success should have a sire and a broodmare sire who had both shown top-class form over a mile and a half. That was all well and fine, but generally not terribly helpful to punters, as most of the runners tended to fit that description; breeders seeking to produce a foal capable of Derbycalibre performance naturally operated on those lines, and they were not short of options, stayers being prevalent among the stallion population.

Anyone aware of what passed for a rule in those days would have shied away from Ki Ming in 1951; how could a son of Ballyogan (whose five successes had all been over five furlongs) start favourite at Epsom? The very idea! That was a little before my time, and just when it was that I became conversant with the theory I don’t recall, but it must have been after 1958, or I would not have been able to convince myself – as I did – that Hard Ridden was going to win.

Hard Ridden was by Hard Sauce, winner of a July Cup and second in a King’s Stand, and he stood out as the sole exception to the rule until American pedigrees came to the fore in the late 1960s. Sir Ivor was not just another exception; he ushered in a new era when no plausible formula existed. Mill Reef was by a horse – Never Bend – who was beaten every time he ran beyond nine furlongs; Roberto’s sire Hail To Reason began in races over three furlongs and broke down irreparably as a September two-year-old, having just won over seven, the longest distance he ever attempted.

I well remember informing my Sporting Life readers on Derby Day 1977 that Blushing Groom could not win, basing my opinion not so much on the fact that his sire Red God had been a sprinter, but on my extensive research that showed that in a lengthy innings at stud Red God had never sired any kind of winner at 12 furlongs. I might have congratulated myself over rejecting the 9-4 favourite, if he had not finished an honourable third, well in front of the stumer I recommended.

We have now long since become accustomed

Cape Cross has sired two winners of the Derby in Sea The Stars and Golden Horn

to Derby winners whose sires had no form at a mile and a half, most notably, perhaps, Dr Devious and North Light, sons respectively of Ahonoora and Danehill. Their victories came as no surprise, both starting at single-figure odds, trusted to stay by reason of potent stamina influences on the distaff side of their pedigrees. We have even had a Derby winner – Oath – whose sire (Fairy King) finished last on his only racecourse appearance. These days, anything goes, it seems.

Even so, I’m inclined to believe that this year’s Derby hero has a pedigree quite unlike that of any of his predecessors. Check out his seven closest male ancestors – sire, two grandsires and four great-grandsires, and it is easy to understand why his owner and breeder, Anthony Oppenheimer, failed to make him eligible for Epsom until his impressive performance in York’s Dante Stakes convinced him to stump up the £75,000 supplementary fee.

Golden Horn is by Cape Cross, who was in training for four seasons, winning five of 19 starts. His one success at the top level came in the Lockinge Stakes at four, when he ran as a presumed pacemaker and caused a 20-1 shock.

Third and fourth in two other Group 1 events, the Prix Jacques le Marois and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes that season, he added Group 2 wins in the Queen Anne Stakes and Celebration Mile as a five-year-old. As the record shows, incontrovertibly, he was a miler.

Cape Cross is by Green Desert, who raced only at two and three, winning five of 14 races.

His victories came in the Group 3 July Stakes and Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes as a juvenile, and in the Free Handicap, the Group 1 July Cup and Group 2 Haydock Sprint Cup in his second season. He tried a mile three times, notably when finishing second in Dancing Brave’s 2,000 Guineas, but he did not win beyond seven furlongs and proved most effective as a sprinter.

Golden Horn’s dam Fleche d’Or is a daughter of Dubai Destination, who was in training for three seasons, winning four of eight starts. His successes at two both came at seven furlongs, more importantly in the Group 2 Champagne Stakes, but at three was seen out only once, as runner-up in Listed company at Goodwood over 11 furlongs. At four he was kept to a mile, winning twice, including the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes, from four efforts; THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Jul_131_Tony_Morris_Owner 24/06/2015 08:56 Page 29

he was retired after poor shows in the Prix Jacques le Marois and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. He could cope with further, but it was as a miler that he made his reputation.

Green Desert’s sire was Danzig, who performed sensationally in training with Woody Stephens, and may well have been the fastest of all Northern Dancer’s sons. But he was never wholly sound. He won a maiden at Belmont Park over five and a half furlongs on his debut at two, and at three he won allowance races at Aqueduct over six furlongs and Belmont over seven. That was it – three wins from as many starts, never tested at stakes level. He could only be classified as a sprinter.

Cape Cross’s dam, the admirable Park Appeal, was by Ahonoora, who won seven of his 20 races in a three-season career. As a juvenile he won a six-furlong maiden at Newbury and was twice placed second from three starts. He scored twice from nine runs at three, taking the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood (receiving 19lb from the top-class sprinter Double Form) and a five-furlong handicap at Newbury under top weight of 10st. He graduated in Pattern company as a four-year-old, when he took the Group 3 King George Stakes at Goodwood and profited from the disqualification of Thatching in the Group 2 Nunthorpe Stakes, both those wins coming over five furlongs. Selfevidently, he was a sprinter.

Dubai Destination’s sire was Kingmambo, a son of Mr Prospector who was trained in France. He won only a six-furlong maiden from seven starts as a two-year-old, though was three times second in Pattern company, and at three won four out of six – the Listed Prix Djebel at seven furlongs, the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, the St James’s Palace Stakes and the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, all at a mile. He never ventured beyond that trip and was decidedly a miler.

Fleche d’Or’s dam Nuryana was

by Nureyev, whose career was limited to three starts. A rare Pattern winner on debut, in the Group 3 Prix Thomas Bryon over seven furlongs, he returned the following spring for a victory in the Listed Prix Djebel over the same trip. Then came his fateful visit to Newmarket for the 2,000 Guineas, when he looked much the best but was disqualified for having caused interference. He was favourite for the Derby when he took sick, and he missed that and every other engagement. The limit of his stamina was anybody’s guess, but on his public form he had to be considered a miler.

Was there ever, before Golden Horn, a Derby winner whose male ancestors in his closest three generations were all sprinters and/or milers and never so much as managed a single start over a mile and a half? I fancy he is unique in that regard – and, incidentally, one of the best Derby winners of recent years.

I am reminded of the wise words penned by that great writer Joe Estes many years ago: “Pedigrees are useful only when we are ignorant of the merit of the individual, and not very useful then. The more we know about the individual and its progeny the less we need to know about the pedigree. When we have a moderately complete record of the individual and its progeny, the pedigree becomes useless.”

In light of the evidence supplied by Ouija Board and Sea The Stars, why would we imagine that Cape Cross would inhibit Golden Horn at a mile and a half?

“I’m inclined to believe this year’s Derby hero has a pedigree quite unlike that of any of his predecessors”

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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Jul_131_HowardWright_Owner Breeder 24/06/2015 08:57 Page 30

HOWARD WRIGHT COMMENT

Yes, it’s a costly exercise, but as was underlined at the Pan American Conference, if more drug testing equals less drug taking, it’s worth it

Spending on integrity pays

D

rugs apart, and a more than occasional reference to the upcoming attempt on the US Triple Crown, the buzzword at the inaugural Pan American Conference in New York at the beginning of last month was integrity. Which makes the forthcoming discussions on where the axe should fall when the Levy Board has cut its expenditure budget for next year, and probably the year after, all the more crucial.

Speakers at the jointly-hosted North and South American gathering lined up like London buses to make solid references to the importance of integrity and the need to preserve confidence in the ability of racing jurisdictions around the world to do their best to safeguard the sport’s reputation among professionals and public alike.

In this Twitter-driven age of instant opinion sharing there is always someone ready to say that racing is bent, without being able to advance incontrovertible evidence. They hardly deserve the courtesy of a reply. But when the level of distrust reaches a point that creates a significant residue of public opinion, it’s time to take stock.

At the Pan American Conference, which drew an audience from far beyond its constituent regions, the impact of damage to sporting integrity was raised most forcefully from outside racing.

From David Stern, the former NBA Commissioner, who took over a badly broken association and turned it into a world leader, to David Howman, Director General of the World Anti-Doping Agency, which hunted down Lance Armstrong, the message was clear. “If we lose integrity, we lose the foundation of the work we do to ensure that sport is enjoyable, not just for those taking part but also those following it,” Howman said.

Racing’s chief proponent was owner and racetrack operator Frank Stronach, a man with a position on most topics, who said: “You can never build a business without integrity, and we have to prove to the public that racing is run even stricter than the stock exchange.”

Taken together, they represented a single view, a focal point, and one whose success depends on significant expenditure, which, again, prompts concerns about the outcome when the BHA’s stakeholders sit down to

30

discuss how to deal with integrity when there is a smaller pot of Levy Board cash to go round.

The benefits of increased vigilance were clear to see in the UAE this winter, when the Emirates Racing Authority widened the scope of its drugs testing regime, including a second, elevated season of unannounced non-raceday sampling for illegal substances.

Ten post-race tests returned positives – as

“We have to prove to the public that racing is run even stricter than the stock exchange ”

many as in the previous four seasons combined – and there were two from nonraceday samples. Post-race positives as a percentage of total tests went up from 0.38% for the five seasons 2009-14 to 1.05% last season, an enormous and at face value a worrying rise, but one that could be fully explained on the back of more, and more detailed, testing.

It’s doubtful whether the positiverate figure will be matched next season, when connections have had time to digest the consequences of some high-profile inquiries and hefty fines, not to mention the 12-month bans that a prominent trainer and his errant vet are now serving.

The ERA’s increased activity required extra investment. In contrast, British racing’s integrity budget has been cut over the last five years. By how much is impossible to say, since the BHA does not publish figures any more, either for costs or outcomes.

However, the Levy Board does explain itself to stakeholders, and from reaching a peak of £25 million on integrity spending, it was forced to make cuts in 2011, and at the same time decided to break the traditional 100% pay-out, so that racing and racecourses had to make up the difference.

The Levy Board’s published figure for integrity expenditure in 2013-14 was £16.405 million, and the 2014-15 number should be very similar.

Horsemen’s criticisms heavily influenced the last cuts and their consequences. They should think twice, and then think again, before advocating anything similar for 2016 and beyond.

Frank Stronach, here leading in Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Ghostzapper, wants a uniform drug-testing programme implemented

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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Jul_131_View_From_Ireland_Owner Breeder 23/06/2015 18:22 Page 32

VIEW FROM IRELAND

By JESSICA LAMB

Galway not out of the woods just yet The city’s bypass route could have been worse from the track’s perspective, but plenty of upheaval is still in store

M

ichael Moloney’s resolve as Manager of Galway racecourse is being tested before he has even begun.

The 31-year-old left British track Plumpton, where he progressed from Financial Controller to Chief Executive, in May and has landed at Ballybrit for a bedding-in period right as the heat is turning up on Galway bypass plans.

The first project to extend the N6 motorway and take it around the outside of Galway City, rather than straight into the centre, arose in 1999, with plans submitted and quashed in December 2006 after a €14 million spend on planning and legal costs.

However, Galway’s councils and the National Road Authority last year enlisted global engineering consultants Arup to start a new project.

They produced seven new bypass options; six road corridors and one dedicated public transport approach, with the road corridors running south of the previously proposed routes. Three corridors involve tunneling, one through the middle of the racecourse itself, which officials feared would create a lake – and wipe out the festival for two years while the land recovered.

A relieved Moloney, son of present Manager John who retires on August 6, arrived in Galway to the news that this has not been chosen as the preferred route, yet the course is “not out of the woods” as the new road will remove all stables and an entrance building.

Already Moloney is faced with decisions that will define his tenure at the home of Ireland’s most successful summer racing festival. How does that feel?

“It’s not stressful at all,” he declared.

“There’s always going to be something, so you just have to get on and deal with it.

“The preferred route has now been picked and it’s still going to have a serious effect on the racecourse, but thankfully it wasn’t the ‘blue route’.

“That is one of the good news points, that it doesn’t go under the course itself. The blue route would have run right under the course and would have had two 50m cuts, one on the

32

far side and one on the stands’ side, and that was our major concern.

“Thankfully, at the moment, that has been averted, though they have reserved the right to return to that plan if the current route they are looking at becomes unsuitable.”

He added: “We’re still looking at all our 165 stables being lost, based on the current route, and one of our entrance buildings.

“The route will have a cut and cover tunnel that will start in the stable yard and will work it’s way up through the back of the enclosure and head out to the city east of our lands.”

Further discussions will clarify exactly what the proposal means for Galway and the festival. The compulsory purchase order that

“There’s always

going to be something, so you just have to get on and deal with it” will obtain the land that the stables and entrance building are on is expected to help cover the costs of rebuilding. But there are no guarantees and it is not clear whether the buildings will or can be rebuilt.

“We’re by no means out of the woods,” said Moloney. “It will have a serious effect on our future and we are trying to take that in and come up with the possibilities of what our next step is.

“It’s how this work takes place and how long it takes to do it – and what we can do afterwards – that we are looking at.

“There’s an awful lot of work to be done to ensure the festival continues, but all the focus is on not missing a festival. It’s what everyone is working towards, but there are no guarantees.

“Obviously we can’t race without stables.

We need to find a location to rebuild them and work out if they, and the entrance building, can be rebuilt before that next festival.”

Galway races is estimated as being worth €60 million to the local economy, employing some 1,500 people during its famous summer race week, when 150,000 come through the gates.

Unfortunately economic impact is not a reason that can be taken into account with a project like this.

Moloney explained: “If we were to lose one festival, there are a huge amount of other events and festivals that take place in Ireland at that time and if Galway wasn’t there for a year, people, I think, would certainly go somewhere else and they may decide not to come back.

“All our efforts will be put in place to try and make sure that doesn’t happen and that we can accommodate the requirements put on us by this road and also be in a position to run the festival each year.”

Undeterred by this threat, and boosting THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Jul_131_View_From_Ireland_Owner Breeder 23/06/2015 18:24 Page 33

CAROLINE NORRIS

morale at the stricken course, sponsors the Tote and Guinness have upped prize-money for the featured Guinness Galway Hurdle and thetote.com Galway Plate.

The Galway Hurdle is now Ireland’s richest National Hunt race with a fund of €300,000 and the Plate is up €20,000 to €220,000.

With the 20% increase of minimum prize funds to €12,000, this takes the total to €1.8m for the seven-day festival.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

“It’s fantastic, but I certainly can’t take the credit for that,” said Moloney. “Much of the work was done before I got here. It’s up €160,000 on last year and it’s going to give us the richest National Hunt race run in Ireland this year, with the Guinness Galway Hurdle celebrating 50 years of sponsorship between Guinness and Galway racecourse.

“The Tote have come on board again for the next three years sponsoring the Galway Plate, but I think the most pleasing aspect of the prize-money increases for 2015 is the fact that the minimum race value will be up from €10,000 to €12,000. That’s a fantastic position to be in and I look forward to attracting some nice horses.”

With the Galway bypass issue playing in the background, Moloney intends to install core values he learnt from Britain’s approaches to racecourse management. He is using the time he has before taking the helm next month to watch and listen, absorbing everything he can about operations and the Galway experience, heightening his senses at the festival.

CAROLINE NORRIS

Michael Moloney (left) will soon take over at Galway from his father John, and hopes the changes afoot do not derail Ireland’s most popular summer festival

“It’s been a great experience for me to go to the UK to see how they do things over there,” he said. “There are an awful lot of similarities between there and Ireland, but you do pick up new things. One of the big things they’ve done is really focus on the raceday customer. That’s something I’ll definitely bring back to Ireland.

“We have to think, ‘How do we improve the facilities to make them more amenable to the regular racegoer?’ That’s the people coming Monday to Sunday of the festival.

How do we make it more of an enjoyable experience for them?

“I’d also look at the way we look after owners and trainers compared to the UK.” He added: “While John is still the manager, I will sit back and take in how Galway works, especially during the festival this year, to see how everything runs.”

It is stormy seas that Galway sails into as Moloney’s career leaves harbour and his personal life is changing rapidly too, with him moving country, getting married, and going from a country track to boss at one of Ireland’s most popular courses.

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Jul_131_Continental_Tales_Owner Breeder 23/06/2015 18:21 Page 34

CONTINENTAL TALES

M

Y AN

Melbourne Cup a no-go zone this year Disease restrictions put pay to imports – though appetite to buy is still strong

L

ast November Protectionist became the first ever German-trained winner of the Emirates Melbourne Cup. Yet the black, red and gold German tricolour will not be fluttering proudly atop a Flemington flagpole again in 2015.

That is not to say Protectionist won’t produce a repeat victory – he is now trained in Newcastle, New South Wales, by Kris Lees – but there are unlikely to be any visitors to the Melbourne Spring Carnival from Germany because such imports are banned.

The problem dates to January of this year, when a horse in the Osnabruck area of northwest Germany was found to be suffering from Glanders and was immediately put down.

This was neither a racehorse nor a thoroughbred, but Glanders is a usually fatal

“The Glanders issue has not derailed our desire to purchase horses in training in Germany”

and highly infectious disease, which can even be transmitted to humans. The Australian Ministry of Agriculture adopts a very hard line in its determination to avoid such diseases reaching the Antipodes.

So a total ban has been placed on any equine imports to Australia that have so much as set foot in Germany during the six months prior to travel. The ban is right across the board, so should a British-trained horse race in Germany and then want to travel down under either to race or having been sold, it would currently not be allowed to do so until six months have passed since it left German soil. A similar ban is in place for Japan, but the authorities there are not so draconian, hence a period of 60 days outside Germany will suffice before a horse is eligible to travel to Japan.

This is not the first time in recent years that the cream of German bloodstock has been denied its chance to shine on the highest international stage by strict quarantine

34

restrictions. Three years ago, Danedream’s bid to defend her Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe crown was scuppered just days before the race when another horse stabled at Cologne racecourse was found to be suffering from swamp fever and a three-month travel ban was slapped on all of its inhabitants.

The current ban will last for a maximum of three years and may be lifted considerably sooner, but definitely not before the end of July, when a period of six months has expired without any further reports of German Glanders cases.

The wheels of the administrative machine often take a long time to turn – before any relaxing of the current restrictions the German authorities will have to show in minute detail that they have complied with the disease surveillance guidelines laid down by the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health).

The new owners of last year’s Grosser Preis von Baden winner Ivanhowe, now called Our Ivanhowe and trained in Melbourne by Anthony and Lee Freedman, had a lucky break when their recruit left Germany just days before the Glanders case was confirmed.

Yet, undeterred by the restrictions, Australian interests have recently purchased both Guardini, winner of the Group 2 GerlingPreis at Cologne in May, and the three-year-old Shimrano, a leading candidate for the Group 1 German Derby at Hamburg on July 5.

David Baker, the Australian bloodstock agent who bases himself in Newmarket during the European season, revealed: “The Glanders issue has not derailed our desire to purchase horses in training in Germany.

“We recently

purchased another German-trained stayer with a view to participating in Australia during the 2016 Australian spring. This will be our formula for the remainder of the northern hemisphere season – to continue purchasing and then leaving the horses in Germany and France to race this season.

“We are expecting the present ban to be lifted at some stage this summer. As you are aware, there was only one case of Glanders and not a sign since.”

Protectionist will remain the only German-trained winner of the Melbourne Cup -– for another year at least

BRONWEN HEALY

GER

By JAMES CRISPE, INTERNATIONAL RACING BUREAU

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Jul_131_Continental_Tales_Owner Breeder 23/06/2015 18:21 Page 35

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ELINA BJÖRKLUND / SVENSK GALOPP

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Spanish trainer Enrique Leon has had his life turned upside down in the last 12 months.

Turn the clock back a year and the Canary Islander seemed to have the world at his feet.

He was preparing Noozhoh Canarias for a crack at the July Cup following a fine effort in a sensational renewal of the 2,000 Guineas and the pundits were so taken with his young sprinter that he was sent off second favourite before finishing sixth in that £500,000 contest.

Return to the present day and not only has Noozhoh Canarias moved on to be trained by fellow Spaniard Carlos Laffon-Parias, but Leon has, like Laffon-Parias, moved to France to further his career.

In contrast to Laffon-Parias, emigration was not Leon’s choice. He has become an innocent victim of an administrative dispute which, contrary to the upbeat predictions of this column back in March, has brought Spanish racing to its knees.

Thanks to a legal stand-off between the former governing body of the sport in Spain, the SFCCE, and its potential successor, the RFHE, about who owns racing’s media rights, there has been a period of over six months without a single race meeting anywhere in the country. This was prompted by the SFCCE going into liquidation but claiming the media rights as one of its assets.

Now that law suits have been filed and the lawyers have got involved, who knows when racing will restart? The SFCCE remains the official regulator as far as the IFHA (International Federation of Horseracing Authorities) is concerned, yet the RFHE refuses to authorise the staging of fixtures

EN ED

Yajamila: 47-1 winner

while the SFCCE is in any way involved.

The state-owned La Zarzuela racecourse in Madrid continues purely as a training centre, but many of its trainers, including 34-year-old Leon, have been forced to look for alternative premises in France or San Sebastian.

“Racing in Spain should never have been brought to a standstill, it was so unnecessary,” Leon said. “Hopefully it will come back soon, but it will never be the same – the wound that has been opened within the Spanish racing community will take a long time to heal.

“I was very angry about it six months ago, when I had to pack up and leave everything behind, but now I am just focused on my new yard and training some winners.”

Leon has moved to Pau, some 30 miles over the Spanish border, where he currently has 30 horses under his care. He is putting a brave face on his new situation, intent on looking forward, not back.

“For me, the French adventure is a longterm plan, and if things get going again in Spain it makes no difference to me, I will not be going back,” he insisted. “Of course, we are only six hours from Madrid, and I would be more than happy to run a few horses there if it suits them, but I want to focus on racing in France.

“It took a long time to get my horses ready with all the changes, and the first three months were a nightmare, but now we are rolling and getting some nice winners.”

Leon’s situation and attitude is mirrored by another former Madrileno, Barbara Valenti, who has shifted her string to La Teste, 130 miles north of Pau.

“I have 12 horses here at the moment,” she said. “Starting again has been quite difficult as not all of my owners wanted to come to France and I have had to get all the horses requalified.

“But the prize-money here is better than in Spain and there are many more opportunities for your horses – in Madrid we raced only once a week. Everyone has been very helpful and I think that I will be staying here even if racing returns back home.”

So the drain in training talent to France, started in 2008 by Equiano’s handler, Mauricio Delcher, continues while the Spanish industry remains in turmoil.

Enrique Leon: enjoying life after difficult start in France

GEORGE SELWYN

SPAI

Pain in Spain as industry grinds to a halt

Winter of content for muscled-up filly Yajamila became one of the most unlikely black-type winners of the European season when she landed the Listed Semb Hovedgard Hoppelop at Ovrevoll in Oslo on May 17.

Bred at Wood Hall Stud in Hertfordshire, she arrived in Norway as the winner of one of her 18 previous starts – and that was a lowly Southwell maiden in August 2013. She was sent off at 47-1 but stormed to a two-and-a-quarter length triumph.

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That did not surprise her Swedish trainer, Caroline Malmborg, who gave 5,000gns for her at Tattersalls in October 2013. “She was placed in a number of big races last year and had developed a lot over the winter and really muscled up,” said Malmborg, who combines training with her role as a pundit for ATG TV, the Swedish equivalent of SIS, and the terrestrial TV4 channel, which shows racing on a Sunday.

“Training always comes first,” says the 46-year-old, who took over the licence from her father Jan in 2009. “I’ll always be with my owner saddling a horse rather than talking about it in a television studio.”

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Jul_131_AroundtheGlobe_Owner Breeder 23/06/2015 18:25 Page 36

AROUND THE GLOBE THE WORLDWIDE RACING SCENE

NORT H A M E R I CA

by Steve Andersen

Fantastic Pharoah ends 37-year Triple Crown wait

T

he cheering continued for American Pharoah long after he had captured the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on June 6, becoming the first American Triple Crown winner since 1978. All those years of pent-up demand to see the most elusive milestone in American racing was over and a celebration was on.

Jockey Victor Espinoza knew it. Twice before he had approached the starting gate for the Belmont Stakes with a chance at the Triple Crown, and both times had lost. This time, he wanted to share the moment.

Espinoza took a slight detour to the winner’s circle. Accompanied by an outrider, Espinoza rode American Pharoah past the winner’s enclosure and a furlong up the track before turning around and walking back.

Along the way, thousands of cell phone cameras in the packed Belmont Park stands were raised to capture images of the 12th horse to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.

American Pharoah did not just sweep the Triple Crown; he conquered the series. He won the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs by one length on May 2, the Preakness Stakes

“He is the first to win

the Triple Crown in a time of 24-hour sports stations, the internet and mobile phones” on a sloppy track at Pimlico in Maryland by seven lengths on May 16, and the Belmont Stakes by five and a half lengths.

American Pharoah led throughout the Belmont Stakes, and when he turned into the stretch, with a quarter-mile remaining, trainer Bob Baffert knew a Triple Crown prize was imminent. This was Baffert’s fourth attempt at a Triple Crown, and he achieved the goal with the most brilliant of runners.

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“I was preparing for somebody coming because I’ve gone through this so many times and I was just hoping for once,” he said. “I could tell by the eighth pole that it was going to happen, and all I did was just take in the crowd. I was just enjoying the call, the crowd, the noise, and everything that happened. I’m part of this, but you know what? That little horse, he deserved it. He’s a great horse.”

Baffert was a nose away from winning the Triple Crown with Real Quiet in 1998. The year before, the Baffert-trained Silver Charm won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, and lost the Belmont Stakes by threequarters of a length. In 2002, War Emblem had a chance for the Triple Crown, but was eighth in the Belmont Stakes. Espinoza rode War Emblem and California Chrome, who won the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness and was fourth in the Belmont.

American Pharoah joins such luminaries as War Admiral (1937), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977) and Affirmed (1978) as Triple Crown winners. He is the first to do so in a time of 24-hour sports stations, the internet and mobile phones.

After his win, the Belmont Stakes gave racing its highest profile in years, with coverage on mainstream news websites such as CNN, a cover story on the race in the Sunday edition of the Los Angeles Times and

Connections of American Pharoah celebrate winning the holy grail of American racing, the Triple Crown, following the colt’s barnstorming victory in the Belmont Stakes

several minutes of highlights on ESPN’s popular SportsCenter programme, which seldom focuses on racing.

If everything goes as expected, American Pharoah will be the first Triple Crown hero to run in a Breeders’ Cup race, in the Classic at Keeneland on October 31. That may very well be the colt’s last start. In May, owner Ahmed Zayat reached an agreement with Coolmore for American Pharoah to stand at Ashford Stud in Kentucky. Zayat, who bred THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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American Pharoah, has control until the end of this year.

The Triple Crown made American Pharoah a household name in the United States and is likely to set off a frenzy of activity among racetracks hoping to draw the colt to major races. Baffert was non-committal about plans in the days after the Belmont, but summertime races for three-year-olds such as the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in New Jersey on August 2 or the $1.25m Travers THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Stakes at Saratoga on August 29 are possibilities, along with the $1m Pacific Classic at Del Mar (against older horses) on August 22.

A start in the Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita in late September could be a final prep race for the Classic. Between now and then, American racing has an unprecedented chance in the age of modern media to capitalise on the colt’s growing popularity.

American Pharoah was fifth in his debut at Del Mar last August and has won his last

seven starts. He was the champion two-yearold male of 2014. Add the Triple Crown and American Pharoah has proven to the 52-yearold Zayat that his homebred star by Pioneerof The Nile may be the horse of his lifetime.

“Through the whole time, I’ve been saying he’s a very good horse, he could be special, but in order to come and win the Triple Crown, you have to define greatness,” Zayat said. “He does everything so easy. We all wanted it. We wanted it for the sport.”

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Jul_131_AroundtheGlobe_Owner Breeder 23/06/2015 18:26 Page 38

AROUND THE GLOBE

by Stephen Howell

BRONWEN HEALY

AUST R A L I A

Black Caviar’s trainer Peter Moody is waiting to hear from the authorities after his Lidari tested above the cobalt threshold

Cobalt cases continue to cast shadow After months of investigation Racing Victoria stewards have charged four Group 1-winning trainers over elevated cobalt readings, another waits to hear if he will be charged, and a veterinarian involved in allegations of standover tactics in a separate hearing in New South Wales has been charged in the Melbourne case.

The trainers charged are Flemington-based Danny O’Brien, Mark Kavanagh, also at Flemington, and father-son team Lee and Shannon Hope. All continue training pending hearings by the Racing and Disciplinary Appeals (RAD) Board.

Not yet charged is four-time Melbourne premiership winner Peter Moody, who has a strong chance of a fifth crown this season, which ends on July 31. Moody has 51 Group 1 wins, including 15 with the unbeaten champion Black Caviar.

Stewards said they were making further tests “to explore the evidence” given by the trainer – Moody’s Lidari returned a post-race urine sample with cobalt above the threshold when second in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington on October 4.

The veterinarian charged is Tom Brennan, a partner in the Flemington Equine Clinic, who is O’Brien’s vet and was Kavanagh’s vet.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that in a

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Sydney hearing only days before the Victorian charges were announced, Brennan and his practice manager Aaron Corby, the former Racing Manager for the controversial BC3 Thoroughbreds operation, repeatedly denied allegations made in Kavanagh’s evidence that Brennan had supplied a bottle of Vitamin Complex, which contained a highconcentration of cobalt.

Brennan is a part-owner of Kavanagh’s stayer Midsummer Sun, who returned illegal levels of cobalt and caffeine after winning the Gosford Cup in January, which sparked the inquiry.

In March, in a non-related case, Racing NSW stewards found Newcastle trainer Darren Smith guilty on 42 cobalt charges. Smith, who had eight previous offences for use of banned substances, was disqualified for 15 years.

If found guilty, the Victorian trainers could face disqualification for up to three years.

Brennan could be fined or even warned off.

Racing Victoria introduced a cobalt threshold of 200 micrograms per litre in April 2014, and the rule became Australia-wide on January 1 this year. General opinion is that the threshold is generous, with other jurisdictions around the world settling on 100m/l.

In layman’s terms the administration of cobalt can help generate more red blood cells to carry oxygen through the body, allowing a horse to

perform at a peak level in a race for longer.

O’Brien has been charged after four horses returned elevated cobalt levels, while Lee and Shannon Hope have had three horses return elevated cobalt levels.

The Victorian trainers are expected to plead not guilty to the charges, that essentially are premised on affecting the performance of a horse in a race, in administering a prohibitive substance and presenting a horse on raceday with a prohibited substance in its system.

The Hopes have not commented but O’Brien told the Herald Sun: “We are pleased that there looks to be a finish line to this and now we can defend ourselves. We believe we have done nothing wrong and we will fight it.”

In a letter to his owners, Kavanagh said he was innocent and expected it to be “business as usual” until his hearing.

Racing Victoria General Manager of Integrity Services, Dayle Brown, and Chairman of Stewards Terry Bailey have overseen the Victorian investigation. Brown indicated that it would be late in June before a RAD Board date could be set and he hoped the Board could “get on with it” a number of weeks after that.

Until last year cobalt was seen to be a problem in harness racing Australia-wide. Now it is thoroughbred racing that is caught in the spotlight.

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Jul_131_BarryHills_Owner Breeder 23/06/2015 17:31 Page 40

THE BIG INTERVIEW BARRY HILLS

A passion

CULTIVATED Barry Hills worked his way from a 16-box yard to a state-of-the-art complex with room for 180 horses; still sending out a steady stream of winners, he can reflect on a wonderful career Words Julian Muscat • Photos George Selwyn

A

discernible air of contentment has settled over Barry Hills. You might think it hardly surprising of a man now in his seventy-ninth year, and with a treasure trove of memories to dwell on. Yet it will come as a surprise to those who knew Hills in his career pomp.

He was one of those whose mind never rested. Even when he took pre-racing refreshment with like-minded friends his conversation was sharp, sometimes prickly.

He was always driven, never satisfied. He bristled loudly at perceived injustices. He was a hard man in the purest sense of the phrase.

One thing about Hills, though: he was always engaging company. And while that trait remains, he is now in the reflective stage of his life. But the best bit about Hills in semi-retirement is that he retains the ability to put people immediately at ease. His still delivers his mischievous-schoolboy smile with a twinkle in his eye.

There is plenty of that as he sits in his spectacular garden on a sun-kissed June morning. He lives just outside Lambourn, to where he moved from Newmarket in 1969, and where he settled but for four successful

but ultimately frustrating years at Manton towards the end of Robert Sangster’s time as a big player in the late 1980s.

What hasn’t changed is Hills’ insistence that everything should be just so. A stickler for minutiae, he would have set his men daunting standards as a sergeant major.

Instead he set those standards for his sons.

“Life’s a journey

which you start with nothing and you go out with nothing.

So no regrets” The career details are impressive enough: more than 3,000 winners and five British Classics to go with the Stayers’ (now World) Hurdle won by Nomadic Way in 1992. And unusually for a British trainer, he has a Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe trophy on his mantelpiece, courtesy of Rheingold in 1973.

But the chapters of his life have been so absorbing that what would feature prominently in conversation with most others is relegated to mere vignettes. Hills delivers them in short, single sentences – invariably accompanied by a twinkle and a smile; like the time he nearly moved to France to train for the Wildenstein family.

“I would have trained Allez France to win the [1974] Arc in my first season there,” he says. What stopped him was the Wildenstein insistence he had to train exclusively for them.

“I went over a couple of times to meet them,” he recalls. “It was a really tempting offer; I’d even have got paid for training their jumpers [the Wildensteins had several good ones] in the winter. But I’d just got going here at the time and didn’t want to give up the good horses I already had.

“I think I would have enjoyed living in Chantilly,” he continues. “There’s a good ambience about the place, but life’s a journey which you start with nothing and you go out with nothing. So no regrets.”

The Wildenstein story arises when Hills reminisces on the best

>>

Jul_131_BarryHills_Owner Breeder 23/06/2015 17:30 Page 41

Enjoying the good life: Barry Hills takes time out to tend to his garden at his home just outside Lambourn, from where he has trained the majority of his 3,000+ winners

Jul_131_BarryHills_Owner Breeder 23/06/2015 17:27 Page 42

BARRY HILLS >> horses he has trained, together with those he has

seen. The Channel 4 documentary on Frankel had just aired – “I watched it with Peter Walwyn and he remembered how Henry Cecil hated losing so much he wasn’t particularly good at it” – but Hills was reluctant to look past one of his own in the ‘best horse you’ve ever seen’ stakes.

“I saw Tudor Minstrel win the [1947] 2,000 Guineas and he was every bit as impressive as Frankel,” he says. “Sea-Bird was a wonder-horse who won the [1965] Derby on the bridle, but I have always felt that on the day Rheingold won the Arc, no horse could have beaten him.

“He beat Allez France very easily [by 2½ lengths]. There was a long gap back to the third horse, there were a lot of runners [27] and Dahlia finished in the ruck.”

There is also favourable mention of Dibidale, whose slipping saddle cost her the 1975 Oaks before she rebounded to win the Irish and Yorkshire equivalents. But the horse that enchanted Hills was Further Flight, the charismatic grey stayer who won the Jockey Club Cup five times.

Further Flight was a metaphor for the way Hills trained. After three quiet runs when the closest he came to winning was his ninth place in a Chepstow maiden, the horse won a handicap at Ayr as the 2-1 favourite – off a mark of 59.

The following year he won the Ebor as the 7-1 joint favourite, and by the time he signed off he’d won 24 times from 79 starts. “That horse was a wonderful servant who was with us for a long time,” Hills says, “but I had one regret.

“He was owned and bred by Simon Wingfield Digby, who was the MP for West

Hills with one of his five Classic winners, 1978 1,000 Guineas heroine Enstone Spark

Dorset, and Simon wouldn’t let me take him over for the Melbourne Cup. I think he would have had a particularly good chance in 1990,

“I have always felt

that on the day Rheingold won the Arc, no horse could have beaten him” the year he won the Ebor, but it would have cost fifty grand and Simon himself was beyond

Popular stayer Further Flight and Michael Hills after Ebor Handicap glory in 1990

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travelling by that stage.”

After 45 years with a licence Hills’ biggest lament is his absence from the Derby’s roll of honour. He could easily have won two: Rheingold was denied by a short-head in 1973, Hawaiian Sound by a head five years later.

“It was unfortunate when Rheingold was just beaten by Roberto because Ernie Johnson tried to keep him straight in the closing stages,” Hills recalls. “As Lester [Piggott, who rode Roberto] said to Ernie afterwards, he should have just hit him and argued it out in the stewards’ room.

And of course, Lester wasn’t supposed to ride Roberto. He managed to get on him very late, but for which I think we would have won anyway.”

Hawaiian Sound, for his part, got mugged.

Rejected as a Derby mount by Piggott, Johnson and Pat Eddery, the colt was partnered by US legend Bill Shoemaker, who was having his debut ride in Britain.

“Hawaiian Sound was bloody unlucky,” Hills ventures. “Shoemaker was leading when he moved the horse away from the rail to cover the challenge of Remainder Man and left a gap you could have driven a Double Decker bus through. Greville Starkey darted Shirley Heights into it and that was that.”

Hills enjoyed some of his finest seasons at Manton, near Marlborough, where he trained from for four years from 1986. Sangster’s lavish training centre was on the market and Hills almost raised the money to meet the asking price.

Other trainers bought into Hills’ plan, which would have seen three of them based at Manton, each from separate yards. “I loved the place,” he reflects. “In the end I was less than half a million short of raising the money.”

The fact Hills came so close to buying one of Britain’s grandest training centres attests to his success story. He is entirely self-made. His father, who died when he was in his mid-30s, trained horses after spells as head lad to Tom Rimell before the war and George Colling after it.

Hills filled the same role for John Oxley for

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Jul_131_BarryHills_Owner Breeder 23/06/2015 17:27 Page 44

BARRY HILLS >> ten years from 1959, after which he took out his

trainer’s licence. The money he made from betting helped him purchase his first yard, South Bank Stables in Lambourn. It had 16 boxes when he bought it and 80 by the time he moved to Manton 16 years later.

He had so many horses on his return to South Bank in 1990 that he rented three other yards to accommodate them all. Then, three years later, he bought a plot on the Lambourn

“How can anyone

follow what is going on when there are seven meetings on a Saturday?” fringe and built Faringdon House Stables, a 180-box, state-of-the-art complex which he passed on to Charlie, the fourth of his five sons, in 2011.

Needless to say, he has seen considerable change along the way. He is saddened by the disbanding of the old paddock at Ascot. “It was a special feature of the place,” he says. “People used to line the walk to see the Queen when she came to the paddock.

“I wrote to the Duke of Devonshire [formerly the Queen’s Representative at Ascot] asking him how he would feel if the Cascade at his Chatsworth House was done away with. I didn’t receive a reply.

“But we all have short memories and we’ll get over it,” he continues. “Everything changes with time. What the young people didn’t see before, they won’t miss.”

Nor is he sold on the delights of all-weather racing which, he points out, was only inaugurated to keep the show rolling in the depths of winter. “Funnily enough, we haven’t had a really bad winter since then,” he says. “I remember one winter when we went 13 weeks without racing.”

He is also guarded about the levy’s replacement by the so-called ‘racing right’, and feels the sport is now controlled by an axis of bookmakers and racecourses.

“Racing is no longer set up for the owner, the horse or the punter,” he avers. “The big meetings are moving towards the weekends and we have all this dross racing in mid-week, which interests nobody. How can anyone follow what is going on when there are seven meetings on a Saturday?”

Conversely, Hills nominates the Pattern system, and the sense of order it brought, as the most welcome addition to the scene. In the end, however, the part of it Hills is totally sold on is the horses.

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Barry Hills with wife Penny, son Charlie and Robert Sangster at Ascot in 1986

Family responsibility led to training return Barry Hills’ return to the training ranks was prompted by the tragic death of his eldest son John, aged 53, from pancreatic cancer last year. John trained from a base at Kingwood Stud, adjacent to Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum’s Kingwood House Stables, which Hills was overseeing after Marcus Tregoning left the property in 2013.

“It obviously wasn’t the intention to return to training,” says Hills, who retired in 2011 and passed on his string to his son, Charlie. “I’m terribly, terribly sad about what happened. It was only two and a half months after John was diagnosed with cancer that he died.”

John started training from Hills’ South Bank Stables when his father moved to Manton in 1986. He then had to relocate when Hills returned to Lambourn four years later.

“John married Fiona the year after he started and they had four daughters,” Hills reflects.

“At that time I was still going strong, so it was quite difficult for John in the beginning.

He had not long taken on Sheikh Hamdan’s horses at Kingwood House when he got cancer.”

Hills now has those horses under his wing but is not looking beyond the end of the season. Last year he took on Owen Burrows, who was assistant trainer to Sir Michael Stoute for 11 years, to work alongside him.

“Owen had about 600 rides over jumps,” Hills says. “He’d been with Josh Gifford, Martin Pipe and David Nicholson, and his father was head lad at Tim Forster’s. As for the future, I’m not yet sure what that holds. I’ll sit down towards the end of the season and think about it.”

Each of Hills’ five sons has made their living from racing. The twins, Richard and Michael, both enjoyed fruitful careers in the saddle. Richard was retained by Sheikh Hamdan and is now part of his management team, while Michael, who was his father’s stable jockey, is now instructing young riders. George, the youngest, works in the bloodstock insurance business in Lexington, Kentucky.

“Michael rode for me for 15 years,” Hills says. “He got the sack twice but managed to reinstate himself. I’m very proud of all of them, especially the fact that none of them have ever been in any trouble. They all kept their noses clean.”

The Hills family is a particularly close-knit unit. Asked for the secret, Hills says: “There is no secret to it. I suppose they always had a bit of respect, which is important. And they’d never do anything silly twice.”

“I love horses sincerely,” he says. “They have been a large part of my life and they mean an awful lot. The two best places to be are with your horses in the mornings and with them in the winner’s enclosure in the afternoons.”

Hills wasn’t able to savour that afternoon treat at Royal Ascot in June, where his Fadhayyil was

just beaten by Dutch Connection in the Jersey Stakes. But this proud, competitive man will have taken succour from the fact Dutch Connection is trained by his son, Charlie.

It will please him greatly to reflect that the Hills family’s affiliation with the Turf has at least one more generation to run.

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Jul_131_TalkingTo_Owner Breeder 23/06/2015 17:22 Page 46

TALKING TO...

ANDREW FRANKLIN

Frank

VIEWS Andrew Franklin was the man behind Channel 4 Racing for three decades and though he is no longer involved in broadcasting the sport he loves, he has no regrets

By Tim Richards • Photos George Selwyn

How and when did you become involved professionally – was it through broadcasting/journalism or were you employed in racing?

I loved watching sport on TV, especially racing, and on leaving school after a relatively unsuccessful stab at O Levels (I wonder why!) I wrote to ITV asking if there were any vacancies.

The timing was miraculously fortuitous as it coincided with the redistribution of the commercial broadcast franchises. London Weekend Television was being set up and they were looking for a gofer to work on World of Sport. Jimmy Hill, the Head of Sport, and his deputy, John Bromley, took me on and May 1, 1968 marked the start of 44 enormously happy years in telly.

Brough Scott, who you would work with on Channel 4 Racing, recalls meeting you for the first time in the World of Sport studio in the early 1970s. What do you recall about those early days and how did your career in TV progress?

ITV struggled for sports contracts because the

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BBC, with two channels, was able to offer governing bodies so much more airtime.

Finding sufficient events to cover on a Saturday afternoon was tough. But one sport with plenty to offer was racing and it was soon apparent that scheduling two meetings instead of one would provide the solution, hence the birth of the ITV Seven. As the only member of the World of Sport production team with any real racing knowledge, my responsibilities grew and in time I became Programme Editor. I was also appointed ITV’s overall Executive Producer of Racing, a role I filled when Channel 4 Racing took to the air in 1984.

“Of course I’d have

relished the challenges of the National and the Royal Meeting, but it wasn’t to be” Your ex-colleague John Francome is on record saying: “Not one single person throughout the sport, from Richard Hannon to AP McCoy, is more passionate about racing than Andrew Franklin. And Channel 4 got the gig (with IMG) on the back of what Andrew achieved.” How disappointing was it to lose the Channel 4 contract after 28 years in the job?

John, characteristically, is being far too generous.

But, yes, I love racing. Naturally, I was downcast about losing my job, but I wasn’t the only one and soon got over it. Of course, I’d have relished

the challenges of the National and the Royal meeting, but it wasn’t to be.

What do you miss most? Are you still involved in racing?

The buzz of a live racing broadcast is irreplaceable. But the next best thing is going racing, particularly to my local course Sandown, where I am a director.

Prior to 2013, Channel 4 shared terrestrial racing coverage with the BBC. Was this competition a good thing for the sport and can Channel 4’s subsequent loss of viewers be put down, in part, to not having a rival to keep it on its toes?

Whether or not it was a good thing is debatable.

Either way, Channel 4 was not keen to carry on covering racing minus the bulk of the crown jewels and the sport’s negotiators were obliged to respond. Had someone in racing been in possession of a crystal ball and foreseen the collapse in viewing figures of those meetings previously on the BBC, who knows what might have been.

>> Do you think the BBC, or any other main channel, will be interested in showing horseracing again?

They may, but their interest would surely be confined to showing the crown jewels. Is there another high-profile broadcaster willing to schedule what’s left? I doubt it.

What has struck you most about the criticism of the current coverage of Channel 4 racing?

The slump in audience levels is down largely to a failure to empathise with the wishes of those watching. In any commercial walk of life knowing your customer is a cornerstone of

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

GEORGE SELWYN

W

hat are your earliest memories of horseracing and how did an interest develop into a passion?

I remember sitting in the car outside Radlett Post Office on a Saturday lunchtime with my father while he filled in a betting slip before rushing in to get the envelope time-stamped and sent off before one o’clock. There were no betting shops in those days. We’d then head home to watch the races on Grandstand and World of Sport. That marked the start of tipping competitions between ourselves. Form study soon took precedence over schoolwork and I was hooked.

>>

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Guy Henderson: combination of excitement and trepidation as Royal Ascot looms

Jul_131_TalkingTo_Owner Breeder 23/06/2015 17:14 Page 48

ANDREW FRANKLIN

Andrew Franklin says Royal Academy and Lester Piggott’s Breeders’ Cup triumph was his most exciting moment on Channel 4

>> success. The writing was on the wall within a

couple of months of IMG taking over from Highflyer, yet either no one wanted to read it or there wasn’t the will, nor the skill, to take remedial steps. The average audience for this year’s Derby programme was lower than Highflyer’s sign-off show from Newbury’s relatively low-key Challow Hurdle day at the end of 2012.

During your time as a broadcaster, what do you look back on with most satisfaction and what were your biggest achievements?

Helping Channel 4 win the Cheltenham contract, devising the Scoop6, winning a BAFTA, assisting with the conception of Racing UK and producing its debut broadcast were all hugely satisfying. But leading a happy workforce and getting the best out of them overrode everything.

And what are your biggest regrets?

No regrets. How can there be when I was so lucky for so long?

In all the years you ran Channel 4 Racing, can you name one moment that stands out as the most exciting, and one that was the hairiest on air?

The most exciting was Lester Piggott, ten days after emerging from his enforced period out of the saddle, swooping late on Royal Academy in the 1990 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Belmont. The hairiest moment was wondering one year whether we would be able to squeeze in the Cesarewitch before our off-air time when one of

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the runners planted itself and had to be led most of the way to the start. We got the race in, by the skin of our teeth!

Channel 4 gave John McCririck a platform for three decades – then cast him aside. In hindsight, was he employed on TV too long, as many people think he was?

Mac’s role in the success of Channel 4 Racing cannot be overstated. When the channel decided to shrink his role they did so without adequate consultation with their viewers. It was an ill-informed decision. When they chose not to renew his contract their handling of the matter lacked class and sensitivity.

You were involved in the formation of Racing UK. What is the future of paidfor racing broadcasting? Will the association of RMG and ARC in a new pictures/data supplier have any impact?

I believe the sport is maximising its current potential income as never before and those responsible should take a bow. I can see the upside of an RMG/ARC alliance but, given the volume of racing, there would still be the requirement for more than one channel, albeit under the same production umbrella. However, a limit to this maximisation of income is fast approaching because there is no sign of an upturn in racing’s public appeal. Picture rights fees are massively dependent on FOBTs. I have to admit their presence makes me feel slightly queasy, but the sad fact is the wellbeing of our great sport needs them. Without the machines,

the number of shop closures would soar and racing’s income would plummet.

What is your input as a board member of Sandown Park? And was the course’s promotion of AP’s ‘goodbye’ on his final day in the saddle a success in your eyes?

Like my colleagues, I attend most racedays and try to look at the workings of the course from the perspective of its patrons. I feed back my observations for Phil White and his

Andrew Franklin’s career in television 1968

Joined London Weekend Television

1969

Editorial Assistant, start of the ITV Seven

1976-84

Editor, ITV World of Sport

1979-84

Executive Producer, ITV Racing

1980

Editor, ITV Moscow Olympic Games

1984-2012 Executive Producer, Channel 4 Racing 1994

Co-Founder & Vice-Chairman, Highflyer Productions

1998

Devised Scoop6

2004

Co-Founder & Launch Day Producer of Racing UK

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Jul_131_TalkingTo_Owner Breeder 23/06/2015 17:14 Page 49

ANDREW FRANKLIN management team to consider. AP’s farewell day couldn’t have gone much better; a capacity crowd basking in lovely spring weather watching top-notch racing. The feelgood factor was off the dial.

Is there too much racing and are we becoming saturated with all-weather fixtures?

I am completely opposed to a further increase in all-weather fixtures. Although they play an important role, especially for smaller owners and trainers, in the main they are dull contests and will never rival the public attraction of races on turf. There is scope for pruning across the board. There are far too many fields with fewer than six runners. This blight has been in evidence since 2008 yet it has taken seven years for something to be done. Even now progress is much too slow.

You are a trustee of the Bob Champion Cancer Trust. Does this involve you in racing in any way?

We are always on the lookout for fundraising ideas involving racing. The next is ‘An Evening with Nicky Henderson’ on Saturday, September 19. Owner & Breeder readers are very welcome!

How does racing fight its corner in the face of competition from the other leisure industries, football, tennis, rugby, cricket and motor racing?

Not well. Racing cannot bring itself to put the customer squarely in pole position. The other sports are constantly adjusting themselves in a bid to benefit the public. Racing – and I know this won’t play well with many who are reading this – persists in trying to appease the participants at every turn. The result is a failure

to progress. Far too many now see racing as inscrutable and unexciting. So the sport can either continue to do next to nothing and manage its decline, or it can reform. And by reform I mean radical changes, not fiddling around with the Flat jockeys’ championship, which is both unimaginative and ultimately unproductive.

You must have a favourite horse, jockey and trainer. Who are they?

I must confess this is a jaunt back in time.

Rondetto is my all-time favourite horse. I’ve a soft spot for versatility and my hero was effective from two miles all the way up to four and a half miles of the Grand National, in which he finished third to Highland Wedding in 1969.

Sixpence each-way on Badanloch in the first televised Grand National in 1960 was my first punt. Second place produced a small profit and then it was downhill all the way after that.

Jockey and trainer were Stan Mellor and George Owen, and from that day on until they retired I was their most avid fan. I can still name dozens of horses they were associated with.

If you could change one thing in racing, what would it be and why?

Here’s another response, which, I guess, will get a cool reception. In sport, popularity is generated mainly by the level of excitement.

Excitement is determined chiefly by the unpredictability of the outcome. Horses of varying ability carrying the same weight does not meet that criterion. Solution: take an axe to black-type races. There may be too many races with small fields, but there are even more where there are insufficient runners with a perceived chance of winning. This is one of the reasons why racing is short of followers.

CLOSE UP AND...

PERSONAL My guiltiest pleasure is… catnaps Best bet I’ve had… Red Marauder in the 2001 National Favourite TV programme…

Peter Kay’s Car Share Four dinner party guests…

Victoria Coren Mitchell, Sofie Grabol (Danish actress), Boris Johnson and Paul Merton I love visiting… the old course at Sunningdale Golf Club

CLOSE UP AND...

PROFESSIONAL Best advice I’ve ever had… always have a Plan B Star of the future… Vautour, no question – next year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Biggest lesson I’ve learnt… there are two sides to every story Alternative career… something adrenaline inducing – running one of the big supermarket chains seems a bit of a highwire act Favourite day’s racing… the 1988 Whitbread Gold Cup at Sandown won by possibly the greatest all-rounder of them all, Desert Orchid

Franklin runs through the schedule with his colleagues during his last broadcast on C4

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RACE OF THE CENTURY

A race that was truly

EXCEPTIONAL On the 40th anniversary of Grundy v Bustino, TONY MORRIS recalls that day of days at Ascot, when racegoers were enthralled and a battle royale was carved into the annals of racing history, but where the careers of two great horses were effectively ended

I

GERRY CRANHAM

Bustino and Joe Mercer, who Tony Morris always rated a supreme stylist, and, right, Grundy and Pat Eddery

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f you were to ask me what I was doing on any date in the last month, it would be long odds against my having any recollection. But, in the unlikely event that you were to ask me where I was and what I was doing on July 26, 1975 I would have no problem. Some dates – those we associate with momentous events in our lives – just become etched in the memory and can never be erased. That bright summer Saturday was one such day for me.

I had been a student of racing history for years before I became professionally involved in the game, and was long accustomed to deferring to my elders and betters over matters that were beyond my ken. The received wisdom, from all that I’d read and heard, was that if I had wanted to witness the race of the 20th century, I should have timed my arrival into the world differently. It wasn’t a case of having just missed it; it had taken place all of 60 years before I became a regular racegoer.

I saw no reason to disbelieve what those who were present at Sandown Park on July 17, 1903 had told the absentees, and was duly handed down to those who came after them. The bare result of the Eclipse Stakes run that day said plenty: 1 Ard Patrick 5-1 (b c, 4, 10st 2lb) 2 Sceptre 7-4 (b f, 4, 9st 13lb) 3 Rock Sand 5-4 fav (b c, 3, 9st 4lb) Won by a neck, 3 lengths.

To say that these were a distinguished trio would hardly do them justice. Ard Patrick was the previous year’s Derby winner; Sceptre had won 1902’s 2,000 Guineas, 1,000 Guineas, Oaks and St Leger; Rock Sand was the current season’s 2,000 Guineas and Derby victor, and in his next start he would complete a Triple Crown. How many times have three winners between them of THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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eight Classics contested the same race?

And that race was not just notable for the class of the competitors. It was remembered additionally for the excitement of the spectacle they provided, with the older pair stretching away from the young pretender to fight out a tremendous duel all the way to the finish. The winner’s trainer, Sam Darling, recalled: “You could have heard a pin drop during the last part of the race, and everybody seemed to be holding their breath.”

Okay, that was all entirely credible. I could but wish that I’d been there, and hope that at some point in my racegoing career I might witness something that approached it for sheer excitement. Of course, I was probably asking too much. I’d been extraordinarily lucky already; I’d seen Sea-Bird win the Derby and the Arc, I’d witnessed Nijinsky’s Triple Crown, and I’d relished the triumphs of Mill Reef and Brigadier Gerard.

“Grundy gathered

a significant public following and his fans backed him down to 4-5”

race where she had previously excelled.

Among her Ascot foes were four – Ashmore, Card King, On My Way and Star Appeal – who had recently finished in front of her, and the last-named had now scored a second Group I victory in the Eclipse Stakes, yet he

was at more than twice the price of the mare.

Everyone knew she would be better this time.

But it was understandable that punters should prefer the chances of two of her rivals.

The flashy chesnut Grundy, trained in Lambourn by Peter Walwyn and the mount of rising young jockey Pat Eddery, had been the champion juvenile of 1974. He was now assuredly the best three-year-old around, winner of Classics in his latest three starts – the Irish 2,000 Guineas, the Derby and the Irish Derby. He had naturally gathered a significant public following, and on the day his fans backed him down to 4-5, a remarkably short price in view of the task that he appeared to face.

There could be no doubt that Bustino would prove a formidable rival. Lady Beaverbrook’s four-year-old had been the best of his generation in 1974, when arguably unlucky as fourth in the Derby, but later a decisive winner of the St Leger. >>

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GERRY CRANHAM

I headed for Ascot on that July day in 1975 confident of seeing a good race. In its still brief history the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes had become established as Europe’s top middle-distance weight-for-age event, the summer’s international championship. For some it represented the first jewel in an unofficial global Triple Crown, completed by the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Washington DC International. The best took on the best, and the best of the bests would triumph.

On paper, the 1975 edition read like a highly competitive race; among the field of 11 was the French-trained, globetrotting fiveyear-old mare Dahlia, who had won each of the last two renewals, setting a course record in 1973 and scoring in a canter in 1974, and now she was just third favourite.

There were good reasons for that. The daughter of Vaguely Noble had had four runs in the current season, well beaten every time, but that did not mean that she was a back number. She generally showed little in spring and blossomed only when she felt the sun on her back; she was not to be ignored in the

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RACE OF THE CENTURY

GERRY CRANHAM

>> He had returned with an outstanding display

in the Coronation Cup, setting a course record with a time more than two seconds faster than Grundy’s Derby effort three days earlier. The son of Busted was now recognisably a serious horse, and his connections had an audacious and ambitious game plan for Ascot.

In the St Leger and Coronation Cup, Bustino had enjoyed the services of a genuine, accomplished stayer in Riboson as his pacemaker, but that colt had suffered a cracked cannon bone and was unavailable for the King George. Dick Hern’s West Ilsley stable housed no suitable single substitute, but that situation might be resolved by a tactic that had famously succeeded at Ascot in 1949. In that year’s Gold Cup the American-bred Black Tarquin was favourite to repeat his St Leger victory over Alycidon, but the latter’s owner, Lord Derby, fielded two 100-1 shots in Stockbridge and Benny Lynch to assist his chief hope, and the outcome was a five-length triumph for Alycidon. Highest and Kinglet, lesser lights among the Beaverbrook colour-bearers, could be dismissed as 500-1 no-hopers now, but between them they just might help to deliver success for Bustino.

To some extent I knew what I was going

Grundy just gets the better of Bustino at the end of a contest that is generally accepted to have been the race of the 20th century, the 1975 King George

“From the stands it

became apparent that Bustino was going to need to fight this battle on his own” to see from my excellent vantage point at the top of the old Ascot stand. The Hern ‘rabbits’ were going to take it in turns to set a strong pace in the hope of drawing Grundy’s sting.

The favourite had already won two Derbys, so his stamina was not really in doubt over a mile and a half again, but both at Epsom and the Curragh it had been his change of gear that had facilitated his victory. If the Hern trio could keep him constantly on the stretch he might never get the chance to deliver his deadly acceleration, and Bustino, whose ability to stay all day was proven, would not only win, but win well. That was a scenario I was inclined to favour myself.

Dahlia, ever the character, displayed some reluctance to enter her stall, but Lester coaxed her in soon enough, and moments after the gates opened we saw what we had expected to see – the trio in the brown and green Beaverbrook livery heading the rest.

For just a few seconds it was Bustino, Joe Mercer up, who led his stable companions, but on settling down Frankie Durr had Highest in front and Eric Eldin nudged Kinglet past Bustino into second.

The prevailing firm ground was conducive to a fast time, and it already looked as though we would get one. Highest, a classically-bred colt whose

Jul_131_GrundyBustino_v3_Owner Breeder 23/06/2015 17:40 Page 53

RACE OF THE CENTURY pedigree said ‘stamina’, was still a maiden after six attempts over a variety of distances.

He was probably going faster now than at any other time in his life, but he was surely not going to be able to maintain that pace for long.

Indeed, Highest had pretty much run himself to a standstill after five furlongs, and while his efforts had meant

that several of his rivals had become detached in rear, it was noticeable that Eddery was still looking comfortable on Grundy. Kinglet, when he took over, would have to pile on the pressure and sustain it to bring Bustino full benefit and embarrass the favourite.

The Hern camp were probably already uneasy about the way things were going.

Ideally, Highest would have taken them further, and there had to be doubts over what Kinglet could now contribute. Just an honest staying handicapper on his regular days at the races, here he was, having run six furlongs at sprinting pace, looking likely to reach the pain barrier any time soon.

How different things might have been if the dependable Riboson had been there!

Kinglet deserved no blame. He had been asked to do what he was incapable of doing, and with half a mile still to run he had nothing left. Mercer recognised that immediately, and from the stands it became apparent that Bustino was going to need to fight this battle on his own now. A kick and a shake of the reins were all that Bustino needed to take command and stride clear. He was on his own, and looking good.

Mercer had seen nothing of Grundy from the start. Eddery had Bustino in his sights throughout and was alive to the opposition’s every move. He had always remained within striking distance, confident that his mount would quicken when he called upon him.

Until, that is, Mercer kicked. Eddery followed suit, and – nothing. It had seemed as though Highest and Kinglet had failed their partner, but maybe the strong pace they had set, albeit for only a mile, had been effective after all. Bustino came into the short straight with a four-length advantage, and though Grundy had him in

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>>

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RACE OF THE CENTURY

R

“Bustino was a horse who could just gallop and gallop. I used to adore riding him.

He was a free horse, always on the bit with you. He always travelled sweetly but he didn’t have much of a kick. We went there thinking he’d win.

“The tactics were to take Grundy’s speed away from him, which almost came off. Unfortunately Riboson wasn’t available [as a pacemaker]. Had he been there he would have taken it up and carried me way into the straight.

“Until Grundy got to us inside the distance I thought we had the race won. But then Bustino changed his legs, lost a bit of momentum and Grundy got up to wear him down.

“He got beat but I was quite happy. I wasn’t looking for any excuses. It was a pretty terrific race. The viewers and spectators loved it – and they were two great horses.”

>> his sights again and was chasing hard, it was

impossible to believe that the finishing kick that had won him his Classics could be summoned now. If that flaxen-maned chesnut was going to land the odds, he would need to show courage of a high order against a doughty foe who showed no signs of stopping.

I had long been a great admirer of Mercer – and continue to believe that he has been the supreme stylist of my era – and well into the straight I was still inclined to fancy that he had stolen the race, but young Eddery, with timely applications of the whip, was getting a response from Grundy that was edging him ever closer, seemingly just by inches per stride. A furlong from home they were level, the momentum apparently with the younger colt, but the four-year-old would still not submit.

This was not like the Eclipse of 1903. The 1975 crowd was not catching its breath; it was roaring its support, for one or the other, or for both – probably a majority of us for both, because there came the horrifying thought that one of the heroes we were watching was going to be proclaimed a loser. It would be asking too much for a dead-heat.

Bustino did not submit. He gave his all.

And he made damn sure that Grundy gave his all to claim his half-length victory.

We saw something special, truly exceptional, that day. The winner lopped 2.36 seconds off the course record; Dahlia, finishing strongly for her third place, albeit five lengths off the principals, was also inside her record time of 1973.

There were sequels that told us more about that race weeks and months later. Bustino was never sound enough to race again.

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Grundy went for the Benson & Hedges Gold Cup at York as the 4-9 favourite, finished fourth, behind Dahlia, Card King and Star Appeal, whom he had beaten out of sight at

Ascot, and was promptly retired. Star Appeal, who beat only the pacemakers in the King George, went on to win the Arc. The media soon decided that the 1975 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes deserved the accolade of ‘Race of the Century’. I don’t know. I would so love to have been at that 1903 Eclipse, which must have been amazing.

I can only feel grateful for having had the opportunity to witness the race that was probably its only real rival for the title.

Forty years on, do I expect to see something comparable to Grundy v Bustino? No, of course not, but that’s the great thing about racing. Such moments can come along when you don’t expect them.

Pat Eddery “It was a thrilling race, one of the biggest battles ever seen on a racecourse. There was a huge build-up to it because Dick Hern, who trained Bustino, ran those pacemakers.

“They thought they could really take the sting out of this young horse over a mile and a half, because on pedigree Grundy wasn’t a true mile and a half horse. They thought this was the way to beat him – and it nearly was.

“In the end there was about a halflength margin of victory but it ruined both horses. Both animals were giving 100% – it was amazing.

“For the public it was very exciting and it was a great race to ride in and win. To me it was the race of the century.”

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PRESS ASSOCIATION

GERRY CRANHAM

Joe Mercer

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Jul_131_AstonMullinsV3_Owner Breeder 23/06/2015 17:24 Page 56

ASTON MULLINS STUD

Believe

AND HOPE Simon and Mags Hope celebrated their first Classic success with Make Believe – an important landmark for their growing concern at Aston Mullins Stud in Buckinghamshire Words Catherine Austen • Photos George Selwyn

I

n the tidal wave of delight that greeted Golden Horn’s Derby triumph, it would be easy to forget that Anthony Oppenheimer’s colt isn’t the only British-bred Classic winner of 2015. When Make Believe made all to take the Poule d’Essai des Poulains at Longchamp in May, he became the first Classic bulls-eye for Aston Mullins Stud. For a fairly small operation with 14 mares, started 12 years ago, it was a remarkable achievement.

“If we finished and ended there, are we happy? Delighted!” says Simon Hope, who owns Aston Mullins with his wife Mags. “But having tasted that, do we want more of it? Of course we do.”

Simon is, he says, “a white-collar farmer.”

He is global head of capital markets for Savills and a board director of the property company, and he explains what he does with the same sparkling enthusiasm tempered with hard facts and steely reality with which he discusses his bloodstock business.

And it is a business – Aston Mullins is no hobby-breeder’s vanity project. He and Mags sold Make Believe as a foal, to Hugo Merry on behalf of Prince Faisal for 180,000gns at Tattersalls in December 2012. The Makfi colt’s dam, Rosie’s Posy, was sold a week later for 400,000gns, having cost €24,000 at Goffs in 2003.

“Is there some sadness that we don’t still own her? Yes, but she’d had seven foals, and [at that stage] there had been one really good one [dual Grade 1 winner Dubawi Heights] and lots of rubbish,” says Simon. “Make Believe was a spanking colt, but if he hadn’t been bought by Prince Faisal, we wouldn’t have got more than 50,000gns for her. And we hit lucky; Rosie’s Posy’s dam, My Branch, was a very good mare, but lots of her offspring haven’t worked. We got lucky because Tante

56

Rose [Rosie’s Posy’s Barathea half-sister] won a Group 1. And what works with that family is the Dubawi strain.”

Simon, now 50, has, he says, always been “nuts on racing”. Brought up in Cheshire, he hunted and point-to-pointed and spent six months with Michael Dickinson after his ALevels. While at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester, he rode out for people as diverse as Mark Usher and Criquette Head.

Upon graduating, he got a job with Savills as assistant land agent for Sam Whitbread at Southill in Bedfordshire – as close as he could get to Newmarket.

“Four thousand a year, a load of logs and a cottage,” he says. “It was a great grounding, but the capitalist penny dropped that it doesn’t matter whether you are trading horses, diamonds, pork bellies or property – your fee is related to the value of what you trade. I worked out that I could be the best land agent that ever walked, but I was never going to be able to buy anything like this.”

“This” is the 300-plus acres of land near Aylesbury that comprises Aston Mullins.

He thought he lacked life experience, so went travelling, raking through around 25 countries.

“But before I went I said ‘I want to come back, and I’ll make the tea, but I want to trade buildings in London’.”

He adds: “If you want to do any good in an operation, you’ve got to get to HQ. There’s no point being a movie star in the Outer Hebrides.”

So began a highly successful career in commercial property.

“That’s what pays for this!” he says with a beaming smile. “This place is a dream for me.

It’s an extension of working life, because in terms of breeding it’s pretty tough to get the place to function and make enough money to

Simon and Mags Hope would love to breed another Classic winner like Make Believe, victorious in this year’s Poule d’Essai des Poulains, pictured behind the couple

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cover your costs, and that’s a challenge.”

The challenge involved in attempting to breed top-class horses, without spending like Imelda Marcos to do it, fascinates him.

“We like passion. People who work here are passionate, they’re very good at what they do, and we’re competitive. It’s a bit like hunting a fox, or closing a deal – there’s more fun in the rally than in the winning shot. Life is about pitting yourself against competition, market, misfortune…”

Mags is in charge of the day-to-day running of the stud, along with stud groom Courtney Prestage, who came to them from Lane’s End in Kentucky, and Romi Bettison, who is soon to return to South Africa.

Simon and Mags moved out of London in 1997 and bought Aston Mullins in 2001.

“We extended ourselves massively to buy

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

“In terms of breeding it’s tough to make enough money to cover your costs, and that’s a challenge”

this place, but it was absolutely the right decision. I will be carried out of here in a box,” he declares.

He first saw the farm when he went to a party there.

“It was a great place with lots of land and

very well located. But, although it had grown beef cattle and sheep, it had never grown horseflesh.”

It is also on Oxfordshire clay – not the limestone that horsemen swear is best for raising equines.

“Paul Thorman advised me to buy cheap, and make sure the farm grows bone. So we bought these foals, and not only did it grow bone, but we have never had any occurrences of OCD [osteochondritis dissecans] since we started.

“We try to weather everything out here, but when it comes to February time, we have a 30-40 acres field that is ridge and furrow – it is the lowest part of the farm, but you can walk across it in your slippers, and we put the mares down there and bring them up just before they foal.” >>

57

Jul_131_AstonMullinsV3_Owner Breeder 23/06/2015 17:25 Page 58

ASTONS MULLINS STUD

Then and now: Make Believe goes through the ring as a foal at Tatteralls, above, and right, in action at Royal Ascot in June

>>

Aston Mullins tends to sell its stock as foals.

“It suits the farm, it suits us as a crop, and we pretty much always manage to empty the headcollar,” explains Simon. “Yes, there have been one or two cases where the pinhookers have made a ruck of money out of us, but they’ve always come back. They know we haven’t got veterinary issues, and they know

58

our stock is for sale.”

Simon uses Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock to buy his mares.

“We used to use Jessica Foster, and she bought Rosie’s Posy on my instructions, but we’ve been with Richard for ten or so years now and he’s been very good for us.”

Simon, however, is not the sort of person to leave something as crucial as mating plans to anyone else.

He says with a laugh: “I irritate Richard like hell. It’s a bit like buying a property stock; you’ve got to look at the stats. One in 15 stallions is any good. The day you mate is the day you sell. In simple strokes, we use firstseason or proven sires. As we get bigger, we can take risks on second or third-season stallions. But you’ve got to look through the lens of your customer. These are rich man’s toys, so they want fashion. Or they might want a particular family, because they’ve had a bit of luck with it. We bought a Street Cry filly from the family of Agnes World in the States and shipped her across to Deauville, and a family flew over from Tokyo to buy it.”

He continues: “You’ve got to look through the pinhookers’ eyes. The foal has got to look and walk like Cindy Crawford, and the pedigree has got to be fashionable.”

When it comes to mare purchases, Simon says that they tend not to pay more than 6070,000gns.

“If you pay 150,000 for a mare and, say, you are going to write off the cost over five years, you’re talking about 30-40,000 a year plus production costs, plus covering fee, so if you are going to a stallion that costs 30-40,000, you have got to be ripping through 100,000 for the foal. You have got to have a very nice foal to cover your costs.

So it doesn’t work.

“There is only one thing that you can control, which is cost.”

He says that Aston Mullins tends to buy good-looking mares with some recent black type in the family, but whom might have been average on the track or have an issue that is likely to put off potential purchasers, like being a weaver.

“For example, we bought a mare from Haras du Quesnay called Garanciere [an Anabaa halfsister to Fillies’ Mile winner Gloriosa], who was a provincial winner. We paid €52,000 for her – and she bites. She bit our vet when THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Jul_131_AstonMullinsV3_Owner Breeder 23/06/2015 17:25 Page 59

ASTONS MULLINS STUD

Mother and son: Ighraa and her colt foal by Elusive Quality, with stud grooms Courtney Prestage (left) and Romi Bettison

“The foal has got to

look and walk like Cindy Crawford and the pedigree must be fashionable” she foaled, and we now leave her to foal on her own.

“But her first foal was I Love Me, who won the Tattersalls Millions and was third in the Rockfel. Her second sadly died, and her third was [three-times winner] Ningara. We sold a sales-topper by Sea The Stars [155,000gns at Tattersalls last November] to Anthony Stroud, and she has a very nice High Chaparral colt at foot now.”

Of his current band of mares, the one he has most belief in at the moment is Ighraa. He bought the Tamayuz five-year-old, out of the Alzao mare Frond, at the end of her two-yearold season from Sheikh Hamdan for 34,000gns. He and his partner in her, Stephen Barrow – whom he met on the train – sent her to Francois-Henri Graffard in Chantilly, and she won a Listed race at Longchamp and finished fourth in the Princess Margaret Stakes.

A shot at the Del Mar Oaks didn’t come off, THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Sport horses as well as racehorses Although Simon and Mags no longer have much time to ride, their daughters more than make up for it.

The oldest, Camilla, 19, is eventing at two-star level, and is going to Trinity College Dublin next year. Laura, 17, who prefers hockey and tennis, has been offered a place at Brown University in New York.

Eleanor, 15, who has just done her GCSEs, is also eventing successfully and is, Simon says, the one who is keenest on racing. The youngest is Georgina, 12, also mad keen on ponies.

Mags is heavily involved with the local

but Simon and Stephen sent her to Elusive Quality and, Simon says, she has a lovely colt foal by the Darley sire.

“We won’t sell her [Ighraa],” says Simon.

“That’s a long family.”

It was Stephen who introduced Simon to Clive Cox, for whom he has great respect as a trainer. Stephen and Simon have been partners in several horses they have raced, including Hope’N’Charity, who won a Listed race for them, and Don’t Forget Faith, second in the Sweet Solera Stakes.

“We only have fillies together – he had Reckless Abandon with another owner. We’ve bought a very pretty Acclamation filly called Musicora out of Richard Hannon’s yard. If we

Pony Club branch, who are lucky enough to be able to use the excellent facilities at Aston Mullins – including a large indoor school and cross-country course – for rallies.

Simon’s interest in breeding is now extending to sports horses, too. The Hopes have a mare called Pearls A Singer, whom Camilla evented up to intermediate level and who is a full-sister to the four-star mare ridden by Jeanette Brakewell, Lets Dance.

They are trying to get her in-foal to the top eventing sire Mill Law. “We’ve gone mad on eventing,” says Simon happily.

can just nick a bit of black type somewhere with her, we’ll bring her back here [to Aston Mullins],” says Simon. “Our farm would only race a filly. Going forward, if Ighraa, or Garanciere, or Cat O’ Nine Tails, who is a halfsister to Purr Along by Motivator, have fillies, we will race them if we don’t get the right sort of money for them at the sales.”

Cat O’ Nine Tails has a Champs Elysees filly foal, and has been back to Kyllachy this time.

Garanciere has been covered by Charm Spirit, while Ighraa has gone to Iffraaj.

With a brain as sharp and bold as Simon Hope’s in the control tower, Aston Mullins is going to go ever-upwards. You can bet the bank on it.

59

FEEDING FOR THE FUTURE

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For that extra bit of back up and support during sales preparation, Saracen are here to help. A combination of the correct feeds introduced at the right moment, and a fresh pair of eyes at regular intervals is all part of the service we offer. Consignors & Owner Breeders know they can rely on it.

Our goal, your success. In the ring, then on the racecourse.

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POLLY BONNOR Tel: +44 7973 802 210 CLARE ROBERTS Tel: +44 7714 768 250 or contact the Thoroughbred Office Tel: +44 (0) 1488 73 456 or visit www.saracenhorsefeeds.com/thoroughbred working with

FEED THE DIFFERENCE

Jul_131_Bloodstock_Intro_Owner 24/06/2015 09:03 Page 61

BREEDERS’ DIGEST

By EMMA BERRY, Bloodstock Editor

Our bloodstock coverage this month includes:

• Sales Circuit: Flat breezers and National Hunt stores vie for the spotlight – pages 62-66 • The Caulfield Files: Successful season underway for Fastnet Rock and Nayef – pages 68-69 • Dr Statz: Prize-money and opportunities are better for middle-distance runners – page 88

t’s unlikely that many buyers go to the breezeup sales in search of an Ascot Gold Cup winner but Tattersalls’ 2013 Guineas Breeze-up Sale was the setting for the last of three appearances in the sales ring for this year’s victor, Trip To Paris.

The fact that his price decreased from 37,000gns as a foal to 20,000gns at two implies that the Champs Elysees colt’s breeze was conducted at a more sedate pace than some of the other gallops that day, as was true the previous year when subsequent Dante Stakes winner and Derby runner-up Libertarian sold for marginally less than his yearling price after posting the slowest breeze.

Both horses were sent to the sales by experienced and professional consignors – Trip To Paris having been sold by Willie Browne of Mocklershill and Libertarian by Malcolm Bastard – and these two men have each in recent years expressed concern at the increasing obsession with super-fast breezes.

Now a gelding, Trip To Paris is clearly no slouch. He won over seven furlongs in the July of his two-year-old season and has demonstrated with admirable consistency this year that he possesses a prized trio of assets: stamina, a turn of foot and, most of all, class.

His trainer Ed Dunlop already has arguably the most famous stayer in training in his stable, Red Cadeaux. Ironically, in a sport as singularly competitive as horseracing, the nine-year-old has gained his notoriety mostly through not winning, but he is much adored the world over and when he challenged for the lead last year in his fourth appearance in the Melbourne Cup, it’s a safe bet that even most of the Aussies were cheering for the Pommie raider. If both horses make it to Flemington this year, the only way the Dunlop camp would be able to bear Red Cadeaux finishing second in the race for a fourth time is if he were to be beaten by his stable-mate.

As a member of a training dynasty, Ed Dunlop has been eyeing his father’s Ascot Gold Cup, which sits on the dining table,

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

since he was in short trousers. That prestigious trophy was claimed in 1974 by Ragstone for his owner/breeder, the 16th Duke of Norfolk, who died the following year.

The duke was assisted in the planning of Ragstone’s breeding by Peter Willett, who turns 96 this month and has just published a new book. Unlike his previously published works, the subject is not racing and thoroughbred breeding, but in his wartime memoir, Armoured Horseman: With The Bays and Eighth Army in North Africa and Italy, one can find plenty of references to the sport which would come to dominate his later working life and in which his name is revered.

On the writing of his reminiscences of his five years with ‘The Bays’, he says: “It came out of the blue. I’d never thought about it before but a friend suggested it to me at a luncheon party and I thought, ‘What a good idea, I haven’t got anything else to do’.”

The detailing of the loss of friends and colleagues throughout El Alamein and the battles of Coriano and Montecieco are interspersed with amusing anecdotes and fruity recollections of regimental life, no doubt echoing the black humour required by survivors of the Second World War to enable them to cope with the atrocities faced on a regular basis.

Willett instantly won friends at barracks when he was found to be reading a copy of the Sporting Life and he confesses he became the “racing guru of my regiment, even though at that time I had no connection with racing whatsoever, but I’d been up at Cambridge and I went to Newmarket as often as I could”.

Touchingly, throughout the war his father would type the results of each race and post them to him weekly.

“The receipt of those airmail cards was a real boon to me,” says Willett in the final chapter of his book which deals with his transition from army officer to racing correspondent of the Sporting Chronicle, via a spell in Italy assisting in the constructing of racecourses and training the regimental string for the ensuing army races, in which he also rode.

This continuity of his childhood passion

GEORGE SELWYN

New words of wisdom from Willett I

Peter Willett, an influential voice in racing

through troubled times laid the foundations of Willett’s significant contribution to the racing and breeding industry, his roles including President of the TBA, Chairman of the British European Breeders’ Fund, and a director of both the National Stud and Goodwood racecourse.

His most influential work came as a member of the Norfolk Committee, which was formed in the late 1960s to recommend a programme of decent-class races. His report on the committee’s findings included the line: “The Turf authorities must ensure that a series of races over the right distances at the right time of the year are available to test the best horses of all ages.”

Thus the Pattern was born and, while it may have been tinkered with since its inception in 1971, its fundamental principles remain intact. The shape of racing in Europe owes much to the wisdom and foresight of Peter Willett.

Armoured Horseman: With The Bays and Eighth Army in North Africa and Italy is published by Pen & Sword Books Ltd, £19.99.

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Jul_131_Sales_Circuit_Sales 23/06/2015 17:55 Page 62

SALES CIRCUIT

By CARL EVANS and EMMA BERRY

Store-sale figures hold up well as more horses are catalogued Strong trade in 2014 has led to increased confidence for vendors at DBS and Goffs

Doncaster Spring Sale

SARAH FARNSWORTH/DBS

D

BS had to juggle its traditional end-ofthe-jumps season event to cope with increased numbers of horses-intraining and stores.

Devoting one and a half sessions to each category, the company auctioned 298 intraining horses (+23) and 238 stores (+35), and while the bigger catalogue helped turnover rise by 8% it was satisfying for DBS and its vendors that the average and median rose too, achieving gains of 5% and 9% respectively. The clearance rate took a slight knock, however, falling back to 80%.

A winner at this year’s Cheltenham Festival was always likely to be at or near the head of the market, and Pertemps Network Final victor Call The Cops called the shots in the ring before leaving with a £220,000 valuation.

Trainer Nicky Henderson had also saddled the six-year-old to finish a head second in a 21runner Grade 3 hurdle at Aintree in April, yet could only look on as agent Aiden Murphy secured the prize for an undisclosed client.

Call The Cops’ owners, Matt and Lauren Morgan, are becoming more involved in Flat racing, hence their decision to sell, and it was a consolidation exercise by another of Henderson’s owners, Richard Kelvin-Hughes,

Nicky Henderson with DBS top lot and Cheltenham Festival winner Call The Cops

Doncaster Spring Sale Top lots Name/Breeding

Vendor

Call The Cops (Presenting – Ballygill Heights)

Seven Barrows

Price (£) 220,000

Buyer Aiden Murphy

Krugermac (Kalansini – Vindonissa)

Shane Nolan Racing

185,000

Gary Moore

Out Sam (Multiplex – Tintera)

Seven Barrows

145,000

Highflyer Bloodstock

Pain Au Chocolat (Enrique – Clair Chene)

Million In Mind

135,000

Dan Skelton

Mere Anarchy (Yeats – Maracana)

C Washbourn

125,000

Alex Elliott

Ballycross (King’s Theatre – Ninna Nanna)

Loughanmore Farms

120,000

Nigel Twiston-Davies

F Slickly – Dona Bella (Highest Honor)

Goldford Stud

80,000

G Stowaway – Trail Storm (Supreme Leader)

Mocklershill Stables

78,000

Gordon Elliott

Mendip Express (King’s Theatre – Mulberry)

Harry Fry Racing

75,000

Philip Hobbs

Clondaw Knight (Heron Island – Sarah Supreme)

Arlary House Stables

75,000

Mr & Mrs Ray Green

Peter & Ross Doyle

SARAH FARNSWORTH

Five-year tale

Aiden Murphy signed for Call The Cops at £220,000 for an undisclosed client

62

Year

Sold

Agg (£)

Avg (£)

Mdn (£)

2015

413

7,628,550

17,865

12,000

Top Price (£) 220,000

2014

417

7,086,800

16,994

11,000

140,000

2013

340

4,977,200

14,638

9,000

105,000

2012

382

5,144,850

13,468

8,000

140,000

2011

416

5,747,800

13,816

8,500

150,000

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Jul_131_Sales_Circuit_Sales 23/06/2015 17:55 Page 63

that resulted in Out Sam leaving Seven Barrows bound for Warren Greatrex’s stable and valued at £145,000.

DBS stages Britain’s only store-horse sale, which this year was headed by a daughter of Slickly who joins Jonjo O’Neill having been bought for £80,000 by Ross Doyle. The filly had been purchased as a foal for €22,000 by Richard and Sally Aston, not long after her half-brother, Olofi, had won Cheltenham’s Greatwood Hurdle.

Yet the whims of the market continue to wrong-foot the most experienced vendors, and the Astons had to take home a store filly by allconquering King’s Theatre, prompting Richard to say: “Explain that to me.”

Brightwells’ Premier NH Sale, Cheltenham Top lots Name/Breeding

Vendor

Price (£)

Buyer

Theatre Territory (King’s Theatre – Specifiedrisk)

Ferndale Stables

200,000

Highfyler Bloodstock

Modus (Motivator – Alessandra)

Castle Farm

190,000

Tom Malone

Baden (Martaline – Ma Sonate)

Willow Farm

160,000

Highflyer Bloodstock

Monbeg Notorious (Milan – Borleagh Princess)

Monbeg Stables

155,000

Gordon Elliott

Peter The Mayo Man (Dylan Thomas – Mommkin)

Sabrina Harty

120,000

Michael Moore P/S

Grey Storm (September Storm – Lady Blayney)

Monbeg Stables

100,000

Grange Clare Paddocks

Black Ace (Yeats – All Our Blessings)

Ballyboy Stables

95,000

Mags O’Toole/N Meade

Western Cape (Westerner – Simons Girl)

Willow Farm

85,000

Seamus Mullins

Minella Suite (Oscar – Ballymaguirelass)

John Nallen

80,000

Grange Clare Paddocks

Fly Du Charmil (Saint Des Saints – Famous Member)

Cottage Field Stables

80,000

Highflyer Bloodstock

Bun Doran (Shantou – Village Queen)

Moate Stables

76,000

Alex Elliott/Tom George

Brightwells’ Premier NH Sale, Cheltenham

Figures for combined elements of sale Year

Sold

Agg (£)

Avg (£)

Mdn (£)

2015

43

2,459,200

57,191

35,000

200,000

Who better to buy a record-priced mare at Brightwells’ Cheltenham venue than the Chairman of the racecourse?

Robert Waley-Cohen’s purchase of Theatre Territory for £200,000 set a new mark for a point-to-point mare and gained him a sparkling racing prospect whose breeding career will be based at her new owner’s Upton Viva Stud in Warwickshire.

She has the credentials to excel in both spheres, being a daughter of King’s Theatre, from the family of Ascot Gold Cup winner and sire Mr Dinos, out of a mare who has produced the Grade 1-winning hurdler Glencove Marina.

The family’s ability seems to have been passed down to Theatre Territory, who won in grand style under owner/trainer Damian Murphy two weeks before her ring appearance.

Waley-Cohen has done very well with expensive purchases in the past – witness Gold Cup winner Long Run – but for now Murphy is the smart one, having bought his valuable asset for just €14,500 as a foal. No less delighted following the sale was Tattersalls Ireland Director Neil Walsh, who owns Theatre Territory’s dam, Specifiedrisk.

Waley-Cohen trains plenty of winners, but it was no surprise to hear from bloodstock agent Anthony Bromley that Nicky Henderson will be handling the mare’s ongoing racing career following her summer break.

Theatre Territory was one of four horses offered at this auction whose valuation was higher than last year’s sale-topper – a minisequence of smart winners and placed horses with the right pedigrees had won on the Irish pointing circuit prior to the event and it led to some cracking results.

Six horses changed hands for six-figure sums – the same as in 2014 – and turnover gained 2% despite a smaller catalogue, which witnessed

2014

55

2,401,000

43,655

35,000

130,000

2013

58

2,360,500

41,100

29,000

140,000

2012

62

2,228,700

35,947

21,500

155,000

2011

70

1,406,600

20,094

12,000

125,000

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Top Price (£)

Goffs Land Rover Sale Top lots Sex/Breeding

Vendor

Price (€)

Buyer

G Arcadio – Hidden Reserve (Heron Island)

Clifton Farm

155,000

Mouse Morris

G Getaway – Listening (King’s Theatre)

Redpender Stud

150,000

MV Magnier

G Yeats – Spring Swoon (Highest Honor)

Derrymore House

140,000

Ian Ferguson

G Kayf Tara – Gaye Sophie (Environment Friend)

Galbertstown Stud

120,000

Gerry Hogan

G Presenting – Land Of Honour (Supreme Leader)

Rathmore Stud

120,000

G Germany – Dun Dun (Saddlers’ Hall)

Ridgewood House Stud

95,000

G Presenting – Polivalente (Poliglote)

Goldford Stud

85,000

Gordon Elliott

G Gentlewave – Miryea (Shining Steel)

Shanaville Stables

80,000

Highflyer Bloodstock

G King’s Theatre – Tus Nua (Galileo)

Parknakyle Stables

80,000

Ian Ferguson

G Stowaway – Booley Bay (Gulland)

Lakefield Farm

78,000

Mouse Morris

Gerry Griffin Bobby O’Ryan

Figures for combined elements of sale Year

Sold

Agg (€)

Avg (€)

Mdn (€)

Top Price (€)

2015

437

11,722,500

26,825

20,000

155,000

2014

418

11,557,000

27,648

22,000

200,000

2013

408

7,725,150

18,934

14,000

215,000

2012

369

5,519,200

14,957

12,000

150,000

2011

296

14,030,000

13,614

10,500

78,000

57 horses offered and 43 (75%) change hands.

That compares to 73 offered and 55 sold 12 months earlier. The average raced ahead, up 31% on last year, while the median was static.

Results on the racecourse are a factor, claimed Brightwells’ Richard Botterill, who said: “The sale attracts good young horses, and they go on – 73% of horses that were sold here last year have won since or been placed.”

Irish point-to-pointers dominated the

catalogue, but Modus, who had been placed in Grade 1 bumpers at the Cheltenham and Punchestown Festivals for owner John Deer, and had the physique to suggest he has a big future over hurdles or fences, made £190,000 and is a very interesting recruit for champion trainer Paul Nicholls.

A handful of British pointers also sold well, headed by the £80,000 given for Fly Du Charmil from Tom Lacey’s academy.

63

>>

Jul_131_Sales_Circuit_Sales 23/06/2015 17:55 Page 64

SALES CIRCUIT >>

Goffs Land Rover Sale Steepling rises at the 2014 edition of this twoday sale of store jumpers could not be matched 12 months later, but it would have been miraculous, and possibly damaging in the long term, had the rush continued.

The 87% clearance rate was superb, albeit down on last year’s 91%, and while turnover nudged up again by 1.4% the average and median dropped back 3% and 9% respectively, but when compared to the figures prior to last year they were still extremely good. As at DBS’s Spring Store Sale, the number of horses on offer was up, with an additional 48 horses walking into the ring at this auction, but no-one could blame vendors for wanting to put their wares in front of punters when demand is strong.

Trainer Mouse Morris, who the previous week had been dealt the awful blow of losing his adult son, Christopher, in a carbon monoxide poisoning accident while travelling abroad, bought the top lot for the second year running. His 2014 purchase, a €200,000 son of Robin Des Champs now named Fire In Soul and owned by Gigginstown House Stud, is in training with Gordon Elliott but has yet to run, while his latest sale-topper was a three-year-old Arcadio gelding.

It would be no surprise if this one is also destined to run for Gigginstown House’s Michael O’Leary, for he owns The Game Changer, a very promising son of Arcadio who has won his first two starts over fences, and who is related to the store.

Arcadio is by the late Monsun, as is Getaway, who sired a €150,000 gelding that fell to MV Magnier and was the second-highest valued horse in the sale.

Geldings had a monopoly on the top-ten board, while the Doyle brothers – Donnchadh and Sean – who train point-to-pointers from their Monbeg Stables, were buyers on an industrial scale, lifting no fewer than 32 stores from the ring and putting €611,500 into the till at an average of €19,109. These horses will race in Irish point-to-points next year with a view to being sold as horses-in-training. Other wellknown exponents of the art, such as Colin Bowe, Willie Codd and Ronnie O’Leary, were also active but on a smaller scale, and the name ‘Monbeg’ will be very familiar at point-to-points – and sales rings – in the coming 12 months.

Goresbridge Breeze-up Sale A record price and increased figures at Ireland’s only juvenile breeze-up sale capped another good day for the Donohoe family’s Goresbridge auction house.

BBA Ireland was the leading buyer, taking 13 juveniles, while the O’Callaghans’ Tally-Ho Stud offered 22 lots and sold them all. However, the spotlight fell on Alberto Panetta and Jamie Lloyd, who combined to reel in a filly by Candy Ride valued at €175,000 – by some way a peak

64

Goresbridge Breeze-up Sale Top lots Sex/Breeding

Vendor

F Candy Ride – Smara (Storm Cat)

Grove Stud

Price (€) 170,000

Buyer A Panetta/J Lloyd

C Acclamation – Peach Pearl (Invincible Spirit)

Mayfield Stables

150,000

Hillen & Ryan

C Birdstone – Royal Flush (Smart Strike)

Brown Island Stables

145,000

Ibrahim Rachid

F Kodiac – See Nuala (Kyllachy)

Tally-Ho Stud

125,000

David Redvers

C Iffraaj – Annee Lumiere (Giant’s Causeway)

Gaybrook Lodge Stud

110,000

Gay Kelleway

C Footstepsinthesand – Boragh Jamal (Namid)

Grove Stud

105,000

Aran Bloodstock

C Drosselmeyer – Cateress (Tabasco Cat)

Tally-Ho Stud

100,000

F Peintre Celebre – Barconey (Danehill Dancer)

Meadowview Stables

82,000

Phil Slater

C Lonhro – Nasaieb (Fairy King)

Tally-Ho Stud

80,000

David Slater

Bhupat Seemar

Five-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (€)

Avg (€)

Mdn (€)

2015

175

4,608,500

26,334

17,000

Top Price (€) 170,000

2014

160

3,514,700

21,967

14,000

125,000

2013

135

2,404,501

17,811

13,500

145,000

2012

137

1,826,200

13,330

9,500

100,000

2011

113

1,598,900

14,150

9,000

130,000

BBAG Spring Sale Top lots Sex/Breeding

Vendor

F Exceed And Excel – Best Side (King’s Best)

Bansha House

Price (€) 61,000

Buyer MBA Racing

Zalata (Pomellato – Zayala)

Gestut Ittlingen

32,000

Gestut Etzean

Saint Goubert (Sageburg – Zanyeva)

Stall Leon

26,000

Chris Richner B/s

Blaue Mauritius (Soldier Hollow – Blue Carol)

Gestut Auenquelle

26,000

Gestut Celtic Hill

San Calimero (Kamsin – Nomita)

Haras de Saint Arnoult

24,000

Chris Richner B/s

Sainte Tempete (Getaway – Cool Storm)

Haras de Saint Arnoult

22,000

Dorothee Altevogt

Silicon Valley (Sholokhov – Susse Deern)

Stall Lustige Funf

22,000

Stall Bergholz

Comparative figures Year

Sold

Agg (€)

Avg (€)

Mdn (€)

2015

44

569,900

12,952

10,500

Top Price (€) 61,000

2014

49

548,600

11,196

7,500

40,000

2013

45

595,300

13,229

3,500

180,000

2012

48

435,400

9,071

3,750

70,000

for the event.

She was one of three horses whose price surpassed the €125,000 Astronomer Royal colt who topped proceedings 12 months earlier, and she became another very profitable pinhook for Brendan Holland of Grove Stud, who had bought her at Keeneland in September for $40,000.

No less impressive were the pinhooking profits for a colt by Acclamation, who leapt from an Arqana yearling price of €8,000 to €150,000 when sold to Stephen Hillen and Kevin Ryan, and the son of Birdstone bought for $13,000 and sold on for €145,000 to Ibrahim Rachid.

Such results will inspire others to head to Goresbridge with their yearling purchases, as will an 86% clearance rate.

Turnover rose by an encouraging 31% – albeit an additional 20 horses were catalogued and subsequently offered – while the average and median figures were up 20% and 21% respectively.

BBAG Spring Sale Con Marnane, of Tipperary-based Bansha House Stables, kept the faith when an Exceed And Excel filly he offered at Tattersalls’ Craven Breeze-up failed to find a buyer.

Led from the ring when bidding halted at 38,000gns, she was sent to Baden-Baden in Germany for this mixed auction – one supported by Marnane in recent years – and made €61,000. On paper that was a loss, for she cost 50,000gns at Tattersalls’ December Yearling Sales, but pinhooking over a long-term is a numbers game and selling a sale-topper will have done Marnane’s draft no harm among those who shop regularly at Baden-Baden.

A half-sister to the Sandown Classic Trial and Dee Stakes winner Azmeel, the filly proved a stand-out who helped nudge up the sale’s turnover by almost 4%. The average did a uturn for, having dropped 18% in 2014 it now went up 16%, while the median jumped by THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Jul_131_Sales_Circuit_Sales 23/06/2015 17:55 Page 65

SALES CIRCUIT 40%. The only negative was a fall in the clearance rate, which achieved 73% from the 60 lots that walked the ring.

The Exceed And Excel filly remains in Germany having been bought by trainer Christian Von Der Recke on behalf of Maria BellAnderson of MBA Racing, while the next on the list, four-year-old filly Zalata, was also set for a short journey to her new home at Gestut Etzean, where she will be mated with resident sire Lord Of England (Dashing Blade).

lot was in tears and said that the sale far exceeded expectations”

“She’s a filly with a lot of upside in that she’s a top racemare with lots of speed; I could see her ending up going to Dubawi in the future,” said Sheikh Mohammed’s bloodstock advisor John Ferguson, who later bought the 90-rated three-year-old Duca Valentinois for £190,000.

The market was selective, with 23 of the 42 lots offered changing hands, but the central London event – as much a garden party as a bloodstock sale – will return next year.

Goffs’ Chief Executive Henry Beeby commented: “Obviously we haven’t hit the high spots of last year but we’re still very pleased with the trade.

“The vendor of the top lot was in tears and said that the sale far exceeded expectations. As well as being the perfect curtain-raiser for the Royal Meeting, it also gives us the opportunity to be here in the centre of London on the eve of Royal Ascot and looking after some very important clients.”

Those clients included buyers from Japan, Dubai and Qatar.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Henry Beeby was at the rostrum as Majestic Queen topped proceedings at £825,000

Goffs London Sale Top lots

Name/Breeding

Vendor

Majestic Queen (Kheleyf – Night Fairy)

Conyngham Lodge Stables 825,000 John Ferguson

Mirage (Oasis Dream – Applauded)

Old Malt House Stables

380,000 Dr Jim Hay

Realtra (Dark Angel – Devious Diva)

Musley Bank Racing

290,000 Hidetoshi Yamamoto

Hail The Hero (Galileo – Mauralakana)

Helmsley Horse Racing

290,000 Tom Malone

Black Beach (Footstepsinthesand – Eraadaat)

Curragh Stud Racing

220,000 Jassim Al Ghazali

2 C Speightstown – Battallosa

Mocklershill

Duca Valentinois (Holy Roman Emperor – Love Valentine) Fox Covert Stables

Price (£)

Buyer

200,000 David Redvers 190,000 John Ferguson

Critical Risk (Pivotal – High Reserve)

Manton Stables

190,000 C Gordon-Watson

Smoking Sun (Smart Strike – Burning Sunset)

Ecurie Pascal Bary

160,000 Voute Sales Ltd

French Encore (Showcasing – French Connexion)

Berkeley House Stables

130,000 Debbie Mountain

Comparative figures Year

Sold

Agg (£)

Avg (£)

Mdn (£)

2015

23

3,784,000

164,522

100,000

Top Price (£) 825,000

2014

36

6,920,000

192,222

120,000

1,300,000

SARAH FARNSWORTH/GOFFS

“The vendor of the top

SARAH FARNSWORTH/GOFFS

Goffs London Sale Without a headline act, such as last year’s first ever Frankel foal to go under the hammer, the second edition of the London Sale may not have scaled the heights of the inaugural session at Kensington Palace, but a top price of £825,000 and an average of £100,000 will have pleased the Goffs team.

With 20 breeze-up horses starting the ball rolling, the eve-of-Ascot sale’s unique selling point is to offer a clutch of horses with entries for the ensuing week’s Royal Meeting. The resultant top lot, five-year-old Majestic Queen, did not stand her ground at Ascot, however, after the dual Group 3 winner was bought to join the Darley broodmare band eventually.

David Redvers, left, bought the highest-priced breezer at the Goffs London Sale

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ON THE SALES BEAT

Q&A

Philipp Graf Stauffenberg Dreams of show jumping turn to racing aspirations and a successful career as a breeder and pinhooker Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into racing and bloodstock…

K J TUCHEL

I grew up on the family estate, so I started riding from a very young age. I always dreamt about being an Olympic champion in show jumping so I did an apprenticeship with Fritz Ligges, who had achieved that and was, as rider, trainer and breeder, one of the most respected men in the warmblood game.

However, as I obviously had no chance to fulfill the dream and I was very keen on the breeding side, I was asked to join the Ostermann family’s Gestüt Hof Itlingen as assistant stud manager and switched to the thoroughbreds.

The next important step came when I was asked to develop Karlshof Stud and went there as stud manager, purchased most of their foundation mares, including Sacarina for less than €4,000. In 1999, my wife Marion and I started to develop our own farm at Schlossgut Itlingen, where we have also lived since then.

Your best buy?

Sacarina, dam of three Classic and Group 1 winners [Samum, Schiaparelli and Salve Regina] is the best, but Que Belle will always be closer to my heart. She was a dual Classic winner from the first crop of yearling fillies I bought and her sale enabled us to develop our long-held dream, which was to develop our own stud farm. In 2012, I was asked to develop a pinhooking venture and so far I think the people involved have no reason to complain.

One that got away?

Bosra Sham, as I thought she had terrible feet and would not make it to the racecourse.

Name a recent purchase you’re most looking forward to seeing at the races...

Rockaway Valley, a recent winner at the Curragh, and Shahbar both seem to be exciting horses from the last crop of pinhooks.

Philipp and Marion Stauffenberg, breeders of Group winners Lady Marian and Four Sins

“I still believe

that Nayef is a much better sire than the market rates him”

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Best auctioneer?

John O'Kelly. If he is selling for you, you know there is no penny left on the road.

Who is the biggest diplomat in the bloodstock world?

Robert Griffin, who sadly died very young, was a huge help in our early days and was able to handle all different interests and functions. He was incredibly fair and loyal.

And a young stallion to watch?

Without a doubt Zoffany. I loved his foals, he convinced me with his yearlings and now the results of his two-year-olds are more than impressive. So, from my point of view, I bought his best colt available at the foal sales last year for the syndicate.

Most under-rated stallion?

For me, Monsun was unfortunately underrated for far too long. I still believe Nayef is a much better sire than the market rates him.

very good trainer, but had the personality and a certain touch with horses.

Your racing/bloodstock hero?

Harro Remmert, who was tied to his wheelchair after his riding accident and became not only a

Best sales food?

The best selection on offer is at Deauville and then Baden-Baden.

How do you like to unwind after a hard day pounding the sales grounds?

I like to relax with a proper bottle of red wine and a cigar in front of an open fire and reflect on what I have seen with my wonderful spotter, who is my wife.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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For the very latest sire lists go to www.ownerbreeder.co.uk Tables updated every day THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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CAULFIELD FILES ANDREW CAULFIELD REPORTS ON THE BLOODSTOCK WORLD

Fastnet Rock sails to Group 1 double Qualify and Magicool seal memorable dual-hemisphere landmark for Coolmore sire

Qualify (right), like Magicool out of a daughter of Galileo, outlasts 1,000 Guineas winner Legatissimo to win the Oaks at Epsom

A

s the fillies hurtled into the final hundred yards of the Investec Oaks, one thing was certain – victory would go to one or other of Danehill’s champion stallion sons. But which one? Legatissimo, a daughter of 2009’s champion sire Danehill Dancer, appeared to be well on her way to becoming the first 1,000 Guineas winner to take the Oaks since Kazzia in 2002. In hot pursuit, though, was the unconsidered Qualify, representing Fastnet Rock, Australia’s champion sire of 2011-12. Of course it was Qualify who got up to snatch a short-head victory – and her victory began a tremendous couple of days for her sire.

Less than 24 hours later, thousands of miles away at Doomben near Brisbane, Fastnet Rock’s son Magicool lined up for the Queensland Derby, a race widely thought to be at the mercy of Montjeu’s grandson Werther. However, it was Magicool who prevailed by three-quarters of a length to provide a Group 1 double not only for Fastnet Rock but also for Magicool’s broodmare sire Galileo, sire also of Qualify’s dam Perihelion.

Magicool’s win may well help Fastnet Rock regain the title of champion sire, as it boosted the stallion’s lead over Danehill’s son Exceed And Excel to nearly AUS$1 million. If he succeeds, sons of Danehill will increase their hold on the Australian championship to seven in the ten years since Danehill recorded the last of his nine titles.

To put the icing on the cake, the Doomben programme also featured the Group 1 BMW JJ

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Atkins, a 1600m contest for two-year-olds.

Victory went to Press Statement, an unbeaten colt from the first crop sired by Fastnet Rock’s second-crop son Hinchinbrook. Bearing in mind that Hinchinbrook’s 14-race career yielded just two wins – headed by a Group 3 sprint success at two – his success with Press Statement surely bodes well for Fastnet Rock’s other stallion sons. British breeders are familiar with his fast son Foxwedge, whose first-crop

“Some of Fastnet

Rock’s Australian Group 1 performers have succeeded at 1m2f or more” foals sold creditably at the end of 2014. We can expect them to sell even better as yearlings this year, judging by the prices paid for some of his first Australian yearlings, such as AUS$560,000, $440,000, $425,000 and $420,000.

By an unwanted coincidence, this run of success came just a few months after Coolmore reversed the original decision to shuttle Fastnet Rock to Ireland for a sixth consecutive year.

Perhaps the reversal was prompted by the fact

that Fastnet Rock’s 2014 book in Ireland had stood at ‘only’ 85 mares, compared to 190 the previous year. As his first two Irish crops had been represented by nothing better than a pair of Group 3 winners in 2014 – the middledistance colt Fascinating Rock and Qualify – the chances are that his 2015 book would again struggle to justify the expense and risk.

It is also possible that Coolmore were keen to rest a stallion who has been extremely busy for a decade. Starting out in 2005, Fastnet Rock has covered 2,204 mares in his first ten Australian seasons – and you don’t need to be a mathematical genius to see that that equates to an average of 220 mares a year. For five of those years he has also been on duty in Ireland, where he covered a total of 679 mares, and his combined totals for Ireland and Australia stood at 370 mares in 2011, 387 in 2012 and 402 in 2013.

In contrast, Fastnet Rock had covered only 79 mares on his first visit to Ireland because the decision to include him in the shuttle team from Australia had been a late one. He was of course billed as a champion sprinter – an accolade earned with six Graded stakes victories in his second season.

To many people the phrase ‘champion sprinter’ implies a degree of precocity, and Fastnet Rock did indeed finish fourth in the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes. However, Fastnet Rock failed to win any of his seven juvenile starts and was much more effective at THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

three. Although he enjoyed plenty of success as a sire of two-year-olds in Australia, would he be able to follow suit in Ireland? Arguably his main role at Coolmore was to try to inject speed into stamina-packed daughters of the likes of Sadler’s Wells, Galileo, Montjeu etc.

He has sired a couple of comparatively speedy Listed winners from Sadler’s Wells mares, namely Table Rock (over a mile at three) and Smuggler’s Cove (over seven furlongs at two). However, his second-crop foals out of Sadler’s Wells mares also include the very useful middle-distance colt Cape Clear Island and the Cheshire Oaks winner Diamondsandrubies, who did extremely well to finish fourth behind Qualify after a very rough passage in the Oaks.

As I mentioned earlier, Qualify is out of a Galileo mare, as is Magicool, whose finest success came over 2200m. You may well remember Magicool’s dam Perfect Truth, as she led throughout to win the Cheshire Oaks. I think it is reasonable to expect that Fastnet Rock’s progeny bred along these lines are likely to be suited by a mile and a quarter or more (the nearest he has come to siring a fast horse in Ireland is Cougar Mountain, who performed well in a couple of Group 1 sprints in 2014).

This comes as no great surprise, as some of Fastnet Rock’s top Australian performers have enjoyed Group 1 success at a mile and a quarter or more, including Atlantic Jewel, Mosheen and Super Cool.

It will be interesting to see whether Qualify’s Oaks win proves to be a launch-pad for further major wins for Fastnet Rock’s northern hemisphere progeny. It could well be, as he covered 179 mares in Ireland in 2012 and 190 the following year, which means he has two large crops (much larger than his first) coming on line. Eight members of his large two-year-old crop are listed as being in training with Aidan O’Brien, including Qualify’s brother Shogun and a half-brother to Bracelet and Wading.

Stats stacking up for Sea The Stars Promoting a stallion can be difficult even when the horse is as brilliant as Sea The Stars.

Having covered 136 mares in his first year, for 117 foals, his second season proved much more difficult. He attracted 83 mares for a foal crop of 66. A revival quickly followed, with his third book numbering 138, but he wasn’t immune to the difficulties often associated with a stallion’s fourth year, as he had only 82 mares that season.

These fluctuations need highlighting, simply so that Sea The Stars’ achievements can be put THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

GEORGE SELWYN

Jul_131_Caulfield_Owner Breeder 24/06/2015 09:04 Page 69

Nayef and Ron Lott at Shadwell’s Nunnery Stud, the stallion’s home since 2004

Nayef the renaissance man Fashion has a lot to answer for in the thoroughbred world. Ideally a potential stallion should have enjoyed Group success at two, before demonstrating excellence at a mile or less in subsequent seasons. Any horse which fails to meet these demands will find it all the harder to win the affections of commercial breeders, with their widespread obsession with precocious speed.

Poor old Nayef seems to have been deemed unfashionable, even though he won both his juvenile starts to earn the lofty Timeform rating of 123p. Unfortunately for him, he soon showed that a mile wasn’t far enough for him at three. Instead he ended his second season with four consecutive wins at up to a mile and a half and he continued to shine over middle distances both at four and five. By the time he retired his CV featured victories in the Champion Stakes, Sheema Classic, Juddmonte International and Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

Even though he succeeded in siring the French Group 1 winners Tamayuz and Lady Marian in his first crop, which also included the 1,000 Guineas runner-up Spacious, Nayef has struggled to maintain support.

This has ebbed away to the extent that he has only 38 two-year-olds in 2015 and, with his

into perspective in an industry where insufficient attention is often given to percentages.

That 66-strong second crop has already produced five stakes winners, plus two Groupplaced performers and two Listed-placed, for a total of nine black-type performers so far.

Given the size of this second crop, this compares well to the 17 black-type horses in its predecessor.

As yet, the second crop has produced nothing to compare to the Classic winners

fee no higher than £9,000, he covered only 22 mares in 2013 and 17 in 2014.

Yet this is the stallion who has already been represented in 2015 by three Group winners.

Snow Sky has won both the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup and Hardwicke Stakes, while Forgotten Rules was successful in the Group 3 Vintage Crop Stakes. The treble was completed by Mustajeeb, winner of the Group 2 Greenlands Stakes. Nayef has also been ably represented in France by the smart Sparkling Beam.

The fact that Snow Sky and Forgotten Rules are stayers will probably be held against Nayef, but it is worth mentioning that Snow Sky’s earnings exceed £400,000, while Forgotten Rules’ stand at more than £270,000. It is also worth pointing out that Snow Sky is out of a daughter of Dansili, whereas Forgotten Rules has a dam by Danehill. The Dansili cross has also produced the promising three-year-old stayer Process and Nayef has also sired the Group-winning Confront from a Danzig mare and those smart fillies Spacious and Tasaday from mares

by Danzig’s sons Green Desert and Mujahid. Clearly breeders searching for an outcross for their Danzig line mares could do far worse.

Taghrooda and Sea The Moon, but that could change. Storm The Stars’ third place in the Derby possibly stamped him as a St Leger candidate and a bright future surely awaits Quasillo, the unbeaten Sea The Stars colt who coasted home to land the Group 3 Bavarian Classic by two and a half lengths.

The chesnut Quasillo is a half-brother to the Group 1 Premio Presidente DElla Repubblica winner Querari, who was sired by Oasis Dream – like Sea The Stars a member of the Green Desert sireline.

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ROA FORUM The special section for ROA members

Don’t make Channel 4 a scapegoat Richard Wayman says that boosting racing’s appeal is an issue for the entire sport to address There are certain months when racing enters the consciousness of the wider public and June must sit towards the top of that list. The exploits of Anthony Oppenheimer’s homebred Golden Horn, complemented by an irrepressible jockey and an extraordinary training achievement, ensured this year’s Investec Derby featured prominently on mainstream television news and the front pages of the newspapers. Just ten days later, the elegance, tradition and heritage of Royal Ascot saw the media spotlight returned to our world.

For those that aren’t racing fans, the occasional glimpse of our sport would commonly be via its terrestrial television coverage. Racing is now over halfway through an exclusive four-year contract with Channel 4, who had previously shared rights with the BBC, the latter broadcasting a handful of the ‘crown jewels’ meetings.

The current arrangements substantially increased the sport’s revenues, with a deal widely reported to be worth around £15 million. This was quite a turnaround as previously an annual £1m contribution was made through the Levy Board towards Channel 4’s production costs.

Since the beginning of the new partnership in 2013, Channel 4 has been on the end of some

negative press coverage, usually linked to declining viewing figures. That was the case again following the Derby when it was reported that the peak audience of 1.47m had fallen from last year’s 1.55m, and was less than half the figure achieved in 2012, the final year of the BBC’s coverage.

I would never pretend to be an expert on television viewing figures but as viewing habits change with people increasingly watching broadcasts across multiple platforms, I suspect it is not totally fair to simply make direct comparisons with years gone by.

“Reaching out to new audiences requires innovative thinking and new ideas”

Unfortunately I wasn’t at Epsom for this year’s race and so I watched Channel 4’s broadcast from beginning to end. The programme, produced by IMG, was outstanding with Nick Luck and the rest of the team brilliantly conveying the sporting drama and emotion of the event.

We shouldn’t forget that it is only a few months since Channel 4’s coverage of the 2014

Crabbie’s Grand National scooped the Broadcast Award for Best Sports Programme, beating an array of mainstream programmes including The Open and some major domestic and international football broadcasts.

Having become the sport’s exclusive broadcaster, Channel 4 has also found other ways to promote racing, with the most recent being a moving and insightful documentary that was given prime time Saturday evening viewing on the eve of Royal Ascot. ‘The Trainer and the Racehorse: The Legend of Frankel’ was a wonderful piece of work that would have been enjoyed by followers of the sport as well as a non-racing audience.

With these excellent programmes in mind, it strikes me that rather than focussing on falling viewing figures, the fundamental issue to be addressed is how to get more people to engage with racing in an increasingly competitive sporting and leisure environment.

The public is faced with more choice than ever and, as other sports have demonstrated, reaching out to new audiences requires innovative thinking and a willingness to try new ideas.

As well as retaining existing customers, racing must find ways to grow interest in our sport, whether as racegoers, television viewers, punters or racehorse owners. Of course, Channel 4 has a major role to play but, make no mistake, this is a challenge that the entire industry must face together.

David Bowen appointed as Head of Membership We are pleased to announce that David Bowen has been appointed as Head of Membership, a newly created role within the ROA. He will start in August, joining the ROA from the Racing Post where he has been Head of Marketing (Digital Products).

David will head up our membership team, focussing on enhancing the package of benefits and services provided to members, and also increasing engagement with current, past and future members.

During his six years at the Racing Post, David launched the successful Members’ Club as well as having responsibility for creating and delivering the marketing strategy for the Racing Post’s awardwinning digital products. He was also

70

Excited: David Bowen joins the ROA

responsible for their social media strategy.

Richard Wayman, Chief Executive of the ROA, said: “Having decided to create this role

when a member of staff left last year, we are absolutely thrilled that David will be joining us. His skills, knowledge and experience will prove very valuable to the ROA as we strive to improve our offering, supporting both the retention and recruitment of members.”

David, who is married with two young children and lives in London, said: “I am very excited about joining the ROA and working alongside the rest of the team to find ways to grow what is already an impressive number of members.

“Racehorse owners are the single largest contributors to the funding of British racing and I am looking forward to finding ways that we can improve their experience of ownership by being part of the ROA.”

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Jul_131_ROA_Forum_Owner 23/06/2015 18:09 Page 71

www.racehorseowners.net

Exclusive ROA facility at Juddmonte International day The opening day of York’s Ebor Festival on Wednesday, August 19 features the Group 1 Juddmonte International, offering prizemoney of £850,000 and recently rated as the best race in the world.

The rollcall of recent winners is an illustrious one, with Frankel (2012), Declaration Of War (2013) and Australia (2014) triumphing on the Knavesmire.

This year members can enjoy Juddmonte International Day in the comfortable surroundings of a private box in the Knavesmire Stand, with a balcony and view of the course overlooking the final furlong.

With the support of York racecourse, we have put together a superb tailor-made package. The special price for ROA members is £199 per person and includes:

• Admission to racecourse • County Stand badge plus racecard

• Private box with balcony • Car park label (one per two guests)

• Private cash bar • Morning coffee and biscuits • Canapes • Hot three-course lunch • Full afternoon tea

Australia delivered a special performance in last year’s Juddmonte International

As places will be limited and we expect to sell out swiftly – we have already filled places in a box in the Melrose Stand to members on the e-bulletin service – please

book early to avoid disappointment.

Bookings can be made online at racehorseowners.net or by contacting Sadie Evans in the ROA office, sevans@roa.co.uk

Your chance to catch up with Frankel and friends We are delighted to announce that an ROA member visit to Banstead Manor Stud has been arranged for the afternoon of Wednesday, September 16.

This is the third members’ trip to Banstead Manor Stud in Cheveley, near Newmarket in Suffolk, since Frankel retired to stud and we are very grateful to Juddmonte Farms for hosting the visit.

Other stallions on the roster include Dansili, Oasis Dream and Kingman, who covered his first book of mares this year.

The visit will be limited to 50 places and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis for members plus one guest. We expect these to fill quickly for this exclusive chance to see behind the scenes of the European breeding headquarters of owner/breeder Khalid Abdullah.

To book a place or for further information please contact Sarah Holton at the ROA or email sholton@roa.co.uk. Please note that priority will be given to members who haven’t already been on a member visit to Banstead Manor Stud.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Retired, moi? Frankel is enjoying his second career at Banstead Manor Stud

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ROA FORUM

TRACK TALK

The latest news from the UK’s racecourses

Other news...

Beverley racecourse has recently unveiled a makeover to its winning connections area. The location is all that remains of the original space, which has now been redecorated in purple and cream, with leather chairs and a very modern-looking bar area, from which winning owners will be served their congratulatory glass of champagne.

The Essex racecourse is scheduled to host its next fixture on July 21

Back on track at Chelmsford City Works at Chelmsford City racecourse are in progress as the racecourse is undergoing the re-waxing of its entire Polytrack. The improvement to the racing surface has been prompted in response to some concerns about the level of kickback since the course re-opened in January. Work is due to be completed by July 21.

The Essex racecourse is also constructing a seven-furlong chute, which is hoped will be ready for the fixture on July 21. While there is no seven-furlong race on the card that evening, the aim is to conduct necessary tests by that

date to enable seven-furlong races to be added to Chelmsford City’s future fixture programme.

Racecourse Manager Fraser Garrity said: “I’m really pleased the board have given the goahead and now the weather conditions are right we can crack on with the re-wax. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from the owners and trainers who’ve had runners and we’re very appreciative of their support.

“With a re-waxed track and the imminent opening of a new seven-furlong start chute, we can look forward to bigger fields and some quality racing for the remainder of the year.”

Owners who have had a runner at Market Rasen recently will no doubt have been impressed by their brand new owners and trainers’ bar. Opened this spring, the bar boasts outside seating, a sofa area and a dining area from which to enjoy the locally-sourced complimentary food offering. Owners can choose from the pie or sausage of the day, soup or a handmade sandwich.

Following the introduction of an eighth fixture to its roster, Cartmel has increased its total prize-money by 24% in 2015. As part of its prize-money policy, no hurdle race is being run for less than £4,000 and no steeplechase (excluding hunter chases) for less than £5,000. The most valuable pot will be the Totepool Cumbria Crystal Cup, due to take place on July 18, which will be worth £26,000.

BHA seminar proves popular with members An information-packed owners’ seminar was attended by ROA members at the offices of the British Horseracing Authority and ROA in Holborn, London during May. The one-day session, kindly hosted by the BHA, was aimed at broadening owners knowledge and understanding of topical regulatory matters. Presentations were given by four key BHA executives.

Jamie Stier, BHA Director of Raceday Operations and Regulation, introduced the day with an overview of the whip rules. Members were then updated on the enhanced equine anti-doping rules introduced earlier this year and the background to the zero-tolerance approach to anabolic steroids.

Paul Barton, BHA Head of Stewarding, gave members an overview of the raceday monitoring of running, riding and interference rules, showing video examples from different angles as they would be viewed on a raceday in the stewards’ room.

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Phil Smith: insight into handicapping

The third session covered integrity and the subject of inside information. Tom Astley, Intelligence Development Principal, talked to members about the role of the BHA integrity services team in British horseracing. Members were given examples of recent cases dealt with

by the regulator, and heard how intelligence plays a vital role.

The BHA’s Head of Handicapping, Phil Smith, was the final speaker and his always popular interactive session gave members an insight into assessing a horse’s rating, including looking at examples of horses owned by members in attendance.

We are extremely grateful to the BHA for supporting this event. There is clearly an appetite among owners to learn more about the industry and what makes the sport, the regulator and its supporting components work together. We look forward to arranging similar events for members in the future.

In the meantime, the BHA has offered an invitation to interested ROA members to visit the integrity department to be given an overview of the monitoring systems. Members who are interested in taking up this offer for a visit to High Holborn are invited to contact Sadie Evans by emailing sevans@roa.co.uk THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Jul_131_ROA_Forum_Owner 23/06/2015 18:10 Page 73

w w w. r a c e h o r s e o w n e r s . n e t

Win a fantastic VIP trip for two to Longines Irish Champions Weekend Last year’s inaugural Irish Champions Weekend proved to be a huge success, with five hotly-contested Group 1 races over a weekend of topclass action at Leopardstown and the Curragh.

There were memorable wins for UK raiders The Grey Gatsby and Brown Panther.

The Goffs Champion Sale was held in the Leopardstown parade ring before racing, with 11 horses sold and over €2 million spent at the sale.

We are delighted to launch a fabulous competition to win a magnificent trip for two to this year’s Longines Irish Champions Weekend, taking place over the weekend of September 12-13.

Open only to ROA members, the sumptuous prize includes:

• Two-night stay at the stylish Beacon Hotel in a luxurious deluxe room

• Two Beacon House cocktails in The Crystal Bar • Three-course meal in the award-winning My Thai Restaurant

• Full Irish Breakfast • Two thrilling days racing at Leopardstown on

Saturday, September 12 and the Curragh on Sunday, September 13, including a three-course lunch, racecards and champagne on arrival

• Flights from mainland Britain to Dublin

(depart Friday 11th and return Sunday 13th)

• Car Hire We are very grateful to Horse Racing Ireland, Leopardstown and the Curragh racecourses, and Beacon Hotel, Tourism Ireland for this magnificent prize package.

Entry is simple. Just answer the following question at racehorseowners.net or email us the answer to info@roa.co.uk to enter and receive future ROA e-bulletins: Which horse won last year’s QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes?

The prize winner will be drawn on July 24. Competition terms and conditions apply.

Full details of online ticketing and ‘Race & Stay’ options for Longines Irish Champions Weekend can be found at www.irishchampionsweekend.ie

Brown Panther was one of the stars at last year’s weekend

In Brief...

Retraining of Racehorses Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) has launched a new redesigned version of its website and logo at www.ror.org.uk. RoR is British horseracing’s official charity for the welfare of horses who have retired from racing.

The new website offers a Rehoming and Sourcing section which includes a listing of retrainers who have been endorsed by racing professionals. A ‘For Sale’ section is under construction, which will allow owners and trainers to advertise horses they are looking to retire from racing.

The Sourcing section gives guidance aimed at new owners looking to purchase or loan a new racehorse, and video clips with practical advice

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

from top coaches Yogi Breisner and Tina Cook.

An improved registration system provides owners of former racehorses with the capability to manage online their own RoR account.

they must be accompanied by the trainer of their horse. Under no circumstances should a trainer attempt to sign in anyone other than the listed owner of the horse.

Access to racecourse stables

Online poll

The BHA has asked us to remind members of the conditions under which owners may be given access to the secure Stable Areas on racedays.

Although the Rules of Racing do not permit access be given to owners, only to trainers and stable employees, it is at the Authority’s discretion to allow an owner of a horse running on that day to enter the stables.

Where the owner is attempting to gain access,

The ROA has launched an online poll on the homepage of the ROA website and members on the ROA’s e-bulletin service will be invited to cast their vote on topical racing questions.

We look forward to members getting involved in this snapshot survey. It will provide helpful feedback to the ROA to ensure we have a good understanding of members’ views on a wide range of topical racing issues.

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ROA FORUM

MAGICAL MOMENTS with ROA member Julie Routledge-Martin

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nyone paying close attention to the racing the weekend before the Derby would have noticed a few horses at Haydock and Newmarket carrying the same blue and yellow colours. And doing well.

First, Cable Bay took the Group 3 John of Gaunt Stakes at Haydock, with the likes of Aljamaaheer, Captain Cat and Top Notch Tonto well behind. Salt Island then ran well in defeat behind Adaay and Limato in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes, finishing sixth, before Forgotten Hero, with Ryan Moore on board, rounded off an excellent afternoon for owners Julie Routledge-Martin and husband David by winning at Newmarket.

For those who thought, ‘I’ve seen those colours before’ but couldn’t place them, that might be because their previous prominence had come under the jumps code, Darna carrying them to victory in the Plate at the Cheltenham Festival a couple of months earlier. With wife preferring jumps and husband Flat, and around half a dozen each in training with Charlie Hills and Kim Bailey, it sounds an equitable partnership.

It is one that has its origins in the early 1990s, and the flying filly who might have been their first horse but wasn’t, Bunty Boo. “We could have bought her, but my husband said, ‘Why do we want a racehorse?’” recalls Routledge-Martin. “So she ran for our friends and neighbours. She won the Flying Five and another Group race, and we thought, ‘Well, this is easy’.”

Owning racehorses is far from that, of course, and when husband and wife’s first horse did come along, Manor Adventure, while a half-sister to Bunty Boo, she did not do so well, winning once, but her talent was compromised by a quirky nature.

The ownership bug had bitten, however, and Manor Adventure was to prove the first of 80-plus horses, and counting.

“If there was a spare stall in the horsebox, my husband filled it,” explains RoutledgeMartin. “So if we’d gone to buy three yearlings, we invariably came back with four; that type of thing meant the numbers grew.”

As well as having a highly successful Derbyshire-based breeding operation – 13 of their 14 winners a couple of seasons back were homebreds – there are also purchases at the sales, a highly notable one of late being Goffs Punchestown record-breaker Charbel, bought for €280,000. A dual bumper winner, he looks an extremely exciting prospect.

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Julie Routledge-Martin had her first runner at Royal Ascot this year

“If we’d go to buy

three yearlings we invariably came back with four – that meant the numbers grew” The owners have known Bailey from his Lambourn days, and so well in fact that on the eve of this interview Routledge-Martin asked the trainer if he would mind if her answer to the question, ‘Please explain your choice of trainers’ was ‘because I feel sorry for you!’

Bailey, apparently, was happy to play along, possibly calculating a sad answer like that would elicit sympathy from other owners – and, who knows, another horse or two!

The association with Hills is a more recent one, but the attractions are similar – the Routledge-Martins especially enjoy watching work on the gallops at Farringdon, an activity the Hills’ family have always had a good

reputation for.

Both trainers have provided magical moments for their owners, and both are likely to provide more in the future.

“Darna’s Cheltenham Festival win was a day we will never forget, it was wonderful,” says Routledge-Martin.

“There have been other memorable days over the jumps too. We owned Glamanglitz, who won nine times and was runner-up at Cheltenham four times, including at what is now the Paddy Power meeting in November.

“On the Flat, Cable Bay’s Group-race win the other day was fantastic, as was his second in the Dewhurst. Even to have a runner in a Group 1 is an amazing thought.”

At that level of the game, most things are rosy – prize-money, owners’ facilities and their experience – but more generally, RoutledgeMartin, who would know quality or value catering when she sees it having had such a business in Canada, feels there are unnecessary frustrations to ownership.

“Only one horse can win a race and I do think more could be done for all those other owners who are going to be disappointed,” she says. “I do think owners should get a bit more for their buck.”

As for owners themselves, she believes that more could be said and done about the care racehorses receive after their careers on the track come to an end.

Routledge-Martin is a patron of the Racehorse Sanctuary, whose work she is keen to promote, while also emphasising the role and responsibility of individual owners.

“I try to find loan homes but the horses can always come back if there is a problem,” she says. “If owners haven’t got the land or resources, they should be thinking ahead about the care for the horse post-racing, the other side of racehorse ownership. Places like the Racehorse Sanctuary do a lot of good work and deserve support.”

While that is very much the unglamorous, unpublicised, financially-tough side of our industry, Royal Ascot is the opposite, and the Routledge-Martins last month were able to experience the world’s most opulent race meeting for the first time as owners.

“We’ve been going for 20 years as racegoers, but had never had a runner, so it was so exciting,” says Routledge-Martin.

The aforementioned Salt Island contested the new Group 1 Commonwealth Cup and finished a highly commendable fourth.

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Diary dates and reminders JULY 9 Regional meeting and Owners Jackpot at Carlisle The ROA team head to Cumbria to host a regional meeting for members who live locally. An ROA Owners Jackpot is up for grabs with £10,000 to be shared among qualifying winners on the day.

R O A O F F I C I A L C H A R I T Y PA R T N E R

Retirement not a barrier to staying involved in racing

JULY 28-AUGUST 1 The Qatar Goodwood festival Members can order Richmond Enclosure badges through the ROA office for the five days of Glorious Goodwood. Bookings close July 10.

JULY 30-AUGUST 30 Deauville festival Members have the opportunity to book places in the owners’ garden outdoor lounge during Deauville’s Festival meeting. See details on following page.

JULY 27, 28, 29, 31 AND AUGUST 1 Galway festival Members can enjoy access to the Association of Irish Racehorse Owners marquee on five of the seven days of Galway’s festival. See details on following page.

AUGUST 19 Facility at York on Juddmonte International day A new facility for members at the opening day of York’s Ebor Festival. See page 71.

AUGUST 28 Regional meeting and Owners Jackpot at Thirsk Invitations to the next regional gathering will be sent to members who live in North Yorkshire. Other members wishing to attend should contact the ROA office.

SEPTEMBER 16 Visit to Banstead Manor Stud Members visit to the breeding headquarters of Khalid Abdullah in Cheveley, Suffolk. See story page 71.

Details of events are listed online at racehorseowners.net in the Events section.

Bookings can be made online or by calling the ROA on 020 7152 0200.

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Former stable staff enjoy their visit to the National Stud in Newmarket

Working in racing involves being part of a close-knit community and it is for this reason that retirement can be daunting to many stud and stable staff. Sometimes there is a fear they may lose contact with colleagues whom they have been working with for so many years.

Fortunately, Racing Welfare is able to help retired staff, and those preparing for retirement, with community events, affordable housing and support and advice services.

Community events take the form of regular coffee mornings in the racing centres of Newmarket, Lambourn, Malton and Epsom, year-round outings and Christmas lunches. Trips that have already taken place in 2015 include a visit for Epsom’s retired staff to the National Stud and the Jockey Club Rooms and an excursion to see ‘Songs for Victory’ at The Princess Theatre in Hunstanton for Newmarket’s retired staff.

Further outings planned include a Windsor boat trip for Lambourn’s retired community and a day at the races visiting Yarmouth. Each year hundreds of retired racing staff from across the country look forward to these trips, which rekindle their sense of community, prevent isolation and bring old friends and colleagues back

together, fostering the feeling of kinship that is such an integral part of working in racing.

Racing Welfare’s housing association ‘Racing Homes’ also makes a significant contribution to the quality of life experienced by retired staff, something that is particularly important since many racing staff, particularly stud staff, live in housing tied to their job, which means retiring from work also entails losing their home.

The charity’s stock of retirement housing complies with the Homes For Life standard with accessible facilities and appropriate support. In addition to the 113 units of retirement housing that is part of Racing Welfare’s housing portfolio, a specialist 21 unit development in Newmarket is planned to fulfil the demand for dementia-friendly accommodation for retired racing staff.

Since retirement can also bring financial worries, the team of welfare officers across the regions help people to resolve issues from locating state and occupational pensions, through to maximising income by claiming winter fuel payment and eligible benefits.

With its package of services, the ROA’s charity partner for 2015 has enhanced the retirement years of many thousands of racing staff over the years.

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Daphne Lilley remembered Daphne Lilley, the ROA’s longest-serving member, sadly passed away in June aged 92.

Daphne had been a member since the end of the Second World War. ROA Chief Executive Richard Wayman said: “Everybody at the ROA was very fond of Mrs Lilley, who was our longest-serving member having joined in 1945.

“She was incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic about her horses. When asked how she would describe herself in five words, the simple reply was as a ‘loyal and ever optimistic owner’.

“Mrs Lilley will be greatly missed by us all and our condolences go to all her family and friends at this sad time.”

Mrs Lilley and her husband Claude, a textile manufacturer who died in 1990, bred many notable winners from their Milford Stud in Derbyshire, including 1974 Derby winner Snow Knight and Pretendre, who landed the Dewhurst Stakes and Observer Gold Cup (now Racing Post Trophy) before being beaten a neck by Charlottown in the 1966 Derby in the Lilleys’ colours.

Mrs Lilley, who still flew herself to meetings into her 80s, was associated with trainers Harry and Geoff Wragg for 47 years.

She recorded her final winner when Johara, trained by Chris Wall, won for the third time at Kempton last August.

Daphne Lilley: joined the ROA in 1945

Deauville summer offer The Deauville festival hosts top quality racing throughout the month of August, with five Group 1 races, and the famous yearling sales which occur over August 15-18.

As well as La Touques racecourse, the town, a favoured holiday destination of Parisians, boasts a marina, golden beaches, boutiques, gourmet dining and casinos.

For the first time this year, through a collaboration with France Galop, ROA members have the opportunity to book places in the Jardin des Proprietaires, the owners’ garden at La Touques racecourse.

The outdoor lounge area offers permanent catering between the weighing area and parade ring during Deauville’s festival meeting.

To register your interest and to receive further information, please visit the Events section at racehorseowners.net or call Sadie Evans at the ROA on 020 7152 0203.

Hospitality for members attending Galway festival

Road To Riches and Shane Shortall won last year’s feature Galway Plate

We are delighted to report that ROA members attending Galway’s ever popular summer festival at Ballybrit can enjoy access to the Association of Irish Racehorse Owners (AIRO) marquee on five of the seven days of the festival, where complimentary snacks and refreshments will be available.

Almost 140,000 visitors attended Galway’s festival last year, and this facility will no doubt be a haven for members attending the week’s racing.

The participating fixtures where members can avail themselves of this offer are July 27, 28, 29 (Galway Plate), 31 and August 1 (Red Day). The AIRO facility is not open to ROA members on July 30 or August 2.

This year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup third Road To Riches captured the Galway Plate in 2014, while the Galway Hurdle is Ireland’s richest jumps race, worth €300,000.

Admission is by Horseracing Privilege Photo Card. Please note that this offer does not include admission into the racecourse. Admission badges can be ordered at galwayraces.com

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Flat Racecourse League Table Ptn Racecourse

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37

Ascot York Epsom Downs Goodwood Newmarket Chester Newbury Doncaster Sandown Park Haydock Park Musselburgh Chelmsford City Ripon Ayr Pontefract Wetherby Lingfield Park Thirsk Salisbury Ffos Las Newcastle Hamilton Park Beverley Kempton Park Leicester Carlisle Nottingham Windsor Bath Redcar Catterick Bridge Yarmouth Wolverhampton Warwick Chepstow Brighton Southwell Total

Figures for period June 1, 2014 to May 31, 2015

Ownership

Avg racecourse spend per fixture (£)

Avg HBLB spend per fixture (£)

Avg owner spend per fixture (£)

Avg prizemoney per fixture (£)

Total no. of fixtures

Total prize-money (£)

Avg racecourse spend per fixture 2013-14 (£)

I I JCR I JCR I I ARC JCR JCR I I I I I I ARC I I I ARC I I JCR I JCR JCR ARC ARC I I ARC ARC JCR ARC ARC ARC

362,607 173,694 118,973 92,791 92,349 85,222 68,131 65,294 56,289 48,048 40,296 37,212 32,654 32,514 31,415 31,086 29,692 28,552 28,045 24,490 23,425 23,047 22,982 21,904 21,158 20,960 20,953 19,993 18,700 17,723 17,457 16,119 16,066 14,181 13,579 13,053 10,620 42,669

140,736 101,810 84,351 77,072 84,483 44,789 74,147 59,482 55,820 48,304 24,542 12,687 27,256 32,242 33,962 33,700 25,872 19,367 30,220 9,578 24,048 19,734 19,868 19,726 23,046 16,969 20,973 21,638 15,776 20,209 19,280 21,512 20,140 17,860 15,855 15,845 21,136 34,071

218,871 94,382 109,088 26,703 91,440 10,166 35,351 43,460 22,921 18,340 5,789 3,090 4,541 10,031 3,684 6,714 4,275 5,482 4,999 3,323 7,265 3,443 2,959 4,010 4,963 3,876 5,470 4,776 2,985 14,662 2,657 3,590 3,014 4,335 2,955 2,359 2,051 18,605

722,213 370,003 312,411 196,790 268,451 140,511 177,957 168,831 135,405 115,482 70,626 53,008 64,450 75,081 69,060 71,500 59,952 53,713 63,931 37,390 55,576 46,225 46,086 45,806 49,524 41,881 47,616 46,667 38,311 52,594 39,938 41,499 39,329 36,375 33,158 31,257 33,807 95,571

18 17 11 19 39 15 16 24 16 23 17 25 16 17 15 1 88 16 15 7 17 18 18 74 21 13 25 27 20 18 17 18 96 2 13 21 42 875

12,999,830 6,290,050 3,436,519 3,739,005 10,469,603 2,107,661 2,847,306 4,051,934 2,166,476 2,705,571 1,200,643 1,325,210 1,031,208 1,276,383 1,035,907 71,500 5,275,814 859,415 958,970 243,035 944,800 832,044 829,550 3,389,673 1,040,011 544,459 1,190,410 1,260,009 766,215 946,700 678,950 746,980 3,775,623 72,750 431,058 656,399 1,419,910 83,617,577

360,726 165,555 96,159 103,696 83,634 75,023 44,634 61,065 49,500 46,904 32,859 0 29,248 27,998 30,511 0 27,688 19,458 26,712 23,461 20,633 19,041 18,498 20,454 18,656 22,020 16,228 20,323 14,639 16,084 16,791 13,706 15,081 15,767 11,235 9,857 10,874 38,453

Up/ down

▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲

Jumps Racecourse League Table Ptn Racecourse

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

Aintree Cheltenham Ascot Haydock Park Sandown Park Kempton Park Newbury Ayr Kelso Cartmel Doncaster Wincanton Musselburgh Ludlow Perth Chepstow Wetherby Fakenham Stratford-on-Avon Market Rasen Warwick Newcastle Newton Abbot Carlisle Exeter Huntingdon Bangor-on-Dee Uttoxeter Ffos Las Hexham Taunton Catterick Bridge Fontwell Park Plumpton Sedgefield Worcester Lingfield Park Leicester Southwell Towcester Total

Ownership

Avg racecourse spend per fixture (£)

Avg HBLB spend per fixture (£)

Avg owner spend per fixture (£)

Avg prizemoney per fixture (£)

Total no. of fixtures

Total prize-money (£)

Avg racecourse spend per fixture 2013-14 (£)

JCR JCR I JCR JCR JCR I I I I ARC JCR I I I ARC I I I JCR JCR ARC I JCR JCR JCR I ARC I I I I ARC I ARC ARC ARC I ARC I

245,508 223,142 135,525 98,706 96,862 50,823 45,631 31,902 29,390 27,417 27,022 26,585 26,507 26,487 25,741 25,177 24,479 24,183 22,930 22,236 21,988 21,606 20,895 20,352 20,007 19,749 18,958 17,761 17,717 16,942 15,750 15,602 15,597 14,044 13,773 13,712 13,076 12,844 12,389 11,532 34,212

126,074 112,871 82,339 82,115 79,094 57,732 66,742 39,424 32,772 18,044 40,868 32,015 30,256 30,828 22,933 29,209 27,301 19,189 18,612 25,461 31,976 31,801 27,694 26,347 28,796 20,817 19,913 20,684 20,976 16,884 21,963 26,527 21,805 25,556 19,125 19,690 25,769 25,923 19,628 16,775 32,809

67,409 55,943 16,197 16,202 18,287 10,010 16,400 10,235 3,048 4,250 6,317 4,960 4,450 4,618 2,104 6,414 4,752 0 3,882 4,407 5,106 5,124 0 4,375 4,769 3,754 4,044 4,724 3,448 2,647 3,704 2,758 3,097 3,347 2,799 3,300 3,077 3,486 3,058 2,873 7,185

439,866 391,956 237,812 198,344 197,576 118,703 130,439 82,712 65,793 49,710 75,407 63,579 61,213 61,933 50,891 60,801 56,707 43,372 45,588 52,454 60,498 58,531 48,589 51,657 54,048 44,320 42,915 43,286 42,141 36,973 41,417 45,087 40,499 42,946 36,047 36,702 41,922 42,253 35,230 31,334 74,569

8 16 8 8 9 13 12 12 12 6 10 16 10 15 16 16 16 14 17 20 14 11 20 12 17 17 15 24 17 14 17 9 21 16 20 21 6 9 18 13 564

3,518,926 6,271,291 1,902,495 1,501,747 1,778,186 1,543,139 1,565,268 992,540 789,515 298,262 754,066 1,017,258 612,129 929,000 814,248 972,815 907,308 607,214 775,000 1,049,071 846,977 643,836 971,781 619,882 918,824 753,437 643,732 1,038,867 695,323 517,619 704,093 405,779 850,486 687,140 720,935 770,745 251,532 380,276 634,145 407,337 42,062,222

210,942 201,036 101,655 88,098 103,163 53,982 47,222 34,902 22,789 28,345 23,093 27,188 21,859 23,509 26,333 28,958 24,528 16,461 21,838 24,047 17,959 25,605 21,425 15,304 20,104 21,641 14,541 11,386 15,766 12,983 11,317 15,554 14,501 15,041 9,946 12,601 13,805 11,747 12,203 9,990 31,550

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Up/ down

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

EXPLANATION The tables set out the average prize-money at each fixture staged by a racecourse over the last 12 months. They show how this is made up of the three sources of prizemoney: 1. Racecourses’ contribution 2. Levy Board (HBLB) 3. Owners The tables also confirm the number of fixtures staged and the total amount of prize-money paid out by each racecourse throughout this period.

The racecourses are ordered by the average amount of their own contribution to prizemoney at each fixture. This contribution originates from various sources including media rights, admission revenues and racecourse sponsors.

If a racecourse has increased its average contribution at each fixture compared with the previous 12 months, it receives a green ‘up’ arrow. If its average contribution has fallen, however, it receives a red ‘down’ arrow.

As these tables are based on the prize-money paid out by each racecourse, the abandonment of a major fixture could distort a racecourse’s performance.

OWNERSHIP KEY JCR Jockey Club Racecourses

ARC Arena Racing Company

I Independently owned racecourse

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TBA FORUM The special section for TBA members

Richard Hannon proves the perfect host at the first 2015 regional day An opportunity to visit Richard Hannon’s Herridge Racing Stables was not lost on the TBA members and, needless to say, Regional Chairman Anthea Gibson Fleming’s South West regional day was over-subscribed.

The Hannons’ reputation for their generous hospitality was endorsed once again, with coffee and sausage sandwiches provided on arrival in the magnificent owners’ facility which enjoys a viewing balcony running along the entire rear of the first floor overlooking the woodchip exercise ring. The owners’ suite also houses a state-of-the-art racing office from which members were able to see the engagements for the week, with declarations being recorded on a bank of video screens.

Fortified for the rest of the morning, the party moved across to the gallops to watch a hand-picked selection of the best older horses in the yard. Richard Hannon explained that his horses were spoilt for choice with a variety of gallops accommodated over 250 acres and a selection of surfaces on which to work – so much so that the horses could work somewhere different every day of the week.

First out was Toormore (Arakan-Danetime Out), the winner of the Group 1 National Stakes, Group 2 Vintage Stakes and Group 3 Craven Stakes.

He was followed by the good-looking Shifting Power (Compton Place-Profit Alert).

The winner of the Listed European Free Handicap last year, he then ran fourth behind Night Of Thunder in the 2,000 Guineas, second to Kingman in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and second again in the Prix Jean Prat, before winning the Listed Royal Windsor Stakes.

Not to be outdone, the 2,000 Guineas and Lockinge Stakes winner Night Of Thunder (Dubawi-Forest Storm) was the next on parade.

This impressive trio was followed by threeyear-old Beacon (Paco Boy-Key Light), who in 2014 won the Listed Dragon Stakes and Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes. Another three-year-old, Al Shaqab Racing’s Nell Gwyn and now Sandringham Stakes winner Osaila (Danehill Dancer-Mennetou) was also on display, along with the juvenile filly Illuminate (Zoffany-Queen Of Stars), who like Osaila went on to win at Royal Ascot, in her case the Albany Stakes.

A number of other very nice prospects made up the string, most of whom bore the

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A tour of the Hannons’ impressive training base provided a morning to remember

same hallmark make and shape of a Hannon horse.

Members had ample opportunity to ask questions of the trainer and his father, Richard Hannon snr, whilst Mark Smyly and Head Man Tony Gorman were also on hand throughout the morning.

After the excitement of the gallops we retraced our steps to view some of the Herridge inmates. With 160 boxes, the Herridge Yard is slightly bigger than the Everleigh Yard, and with its fantastic owner

facility, most of the syndicate-owned horses are stabled there.

‘Keep it simple’ would appear to be the rule of the house and, with oat straw beds and English hay, the horses weren’t complaining.

The morning was rounded off with more hospitality in the shape of a glass of champagne before we headed off to the Hannons’ local pub The Shears Inn for a delicious lunch. Thank you to everyone at the Hannon stable who made it a day to remember.

New regional representative for the South West The TBA welcomes Clare Trickey as a new representative for the South West.

Clare has had a lifetime involvement with horses from eventing to training point-to-pointers.

Together with her late husband Mike, who was clerk of the course at Taunton and had ridden point-to-pointers and eventers, Clare was a frequent vendor at Doncaster sales with young stock which they either bred or bought as foals or yearlings.

Clare is still involved in buying foals to sell on as stores for National Hunt racing from her home in Devon.

She feels that the TBA is invaluable with the support it offers breeders large and small, and that there is an enormous amount of important help and advice for members as well as numerous informative visits countrywide.

We look forward to welcoming Clare and thank her for her time and assistance to the TBA.

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Celebrating another successful season of TBA mares’ point-to-point races

TBA diary dates TBA EVENTS TUESDAY, JULY 7 TBA AGM The 98th AGM will be held at the Jockey Club Rooms, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 8JL on Tuesday, July 7 at 10.30am.

TUESDAY, JULY 7

ALUN SEDGMORE/SPORTING PRINTS

TBA Annual Breeders’ Awards Evening

Renta Gallery with rider Bradley Gibbs and connections after winning the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association mares-only race at Lydstep on May 24

Hexham recently hosed the final of the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Associationsponsored point-to-points, which are designed to promote mares and encourage people to breed, buy and race fillies and mares with a view to proving their long-term value as broodmares.

Louise Kemble, Chief Executive of the TBA, said: “It’s been a fantastic season of TBA mares’ races and we are delighted to have provided even more opportunities for mares to compete

at meetings across the country.

“Our races have seen some high-class mares doing incredibly well and some lovely stories emerge. A particular highlight was the homeand British-bred Dabinett Moon going on to take a series title under Rules after winning one of our TBA races [at Mollington in April].

“We hope that many owners and breeders have benefited from our sponsorship and thank all the hunts for their work in putting the racedays together.”

This year’s Annual Breeders’ Awards evening will begin with a stallion parade at Lanwades Stud, followed by a dinner and awards ceremony held at the Granary Barns, Woodditton, Newmarket.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15 AND THURSDAY, JULY 16 The TBA Annual Seminar The seminar will take place over two days in two locations: Wednesday at Tattersalls Park Paddocks and Thursday at Newbury racecourse. The theme this year is ‘Nutrition and the Environment’.

SUNDAY, JULY 26 The National Hunt ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ Foal Show The National Hunt ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ Foal Show will take place at Bangor-on-Dee racecourse.

FORTHCOMING REGIONAL DAYS SCOTLAND

TUESDAY, JULY 21 Visit to Robert Robinson’s Distillery Stud, Annan, Dumfriesshire, followed by a tour of Annandale Distillery.

THE EAST

Date to be advised Visit to Marco Botti’s Prestige Place Stables, Newmarket, Suffolk, followed by a tour and a parade of the resident stallions at the National Stud.

WALES & WEST MIDLANDS

Autumn (date to be advised) Visit to Charlie Longsdon’s Hull Farm Stables, Chipping Norton.

THE NORTH

September (date to be advised) Visit to Ann Duffield’s Sun Hill Farm, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, with Jack Berry as guest speaker.

TBA NEW MEMBERS Miss Jean Balmer, Powys; Mrs Diana Blunt, Herefordshire; Adam W Brookes, Gloucestershire; Ms Bridget Cuming, London; Ms Katie Dashwood, Gloucestershire; Miss Luise Scott-Macdonald, Suffolk; Colin Smith, Suffolk; Mrs Anthea Smyth, Co Down; Mrs Pamela P Wright, North Yorkshire;

18-35 John Chatfield-Roberts is presented with the winning owner award by TBA member Peter Dixon-Smith after She’s Real won the TBA mares-only race at Garthorpe on May 10

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Miss Helen Griggs, Essex; Miss Ellie Hedditch, Dorset.

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TBA FORUM

The Foal: from birth to weaning TBA course a great hit with delegates The first TBA-sponsored course at the National Stud took place on May 20 and attracted a record attendance.

Fifty delegates from around the country spent the day in the lecture theatre, where the course focused on practicalities of the foaling process, care of the newborn foal in the early days, and nutrition and management of the foal in the first few months.

Speakers were Ollie Pynn (Rossdales), Jennie Henderson and Jan Pynn (Newmarket Equine Hospital), Catherine Dunnett (Independent Equine Nutrition) and Di

Harvey of Weatherbys, the last-named giving an explanation of registration requirements for foals and the reasons behind them.

The day was well received by delegates who appreciated the opportunity to question speakers and exchange ideas with each other during the sessions and over lunch. Two more sponsored courses take place this year: ‘The Mating Game – pedigrees and mating plans’ (September 4) and ‘The broodmare – conception and pregnancy’ (November 10).

For further information, contact Leaya Slater at the National Stud on 01638 675930.

Farewell and thank you to Carrie Cherry

After more than three and a half years of running the TBA’s membership and looking after nearly 3,500 TBA and NGC members, whilst managing many other areas of the TBA, our Membership Manager Carrie Cherry has bid us farewell and moved on to pastures new.

Carrie was a fantastic member of the team at Stanstead House with encyclopaedic knowledge about every member, their horses and most within the industry. What Carrie doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing. This, together with her level-headedness, admirable work ethic and ability always to see the bright side of any situation, means she will be sorely missed by the team and, we suspect, by many of our members.

We would like to thank Carrie for all that she has given to the TBA during her time here and wish her the best of luck in her new position at Lofts Hall Stud as stud secretary to Hugo Lascelles.

Rossdales vet Ollie Pynn speaks to delegates about foaling matters at the National Stud

New forum for stud professionals A new social concept aimed at putting stud professionals and TBA representatives of different regions in touch with each other has been piloted in the South East with great success.

Initiated by South East Regional Chairman John Needham, it offers individuals the chance to discuss topics – from fencing contractors and sharing transport to TBA training opportunities.

The TBA recognised that there is a need to

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gain insight and feedback from stud professionals on an ongoing basis to ensure the association is providing the correct and relevant services.

Because of the nature of stud work, those working on farms are often out of the loop when it comes to news and updates from the TBA and are unable to attend many TBA events. So in the relaxed setting of a local pub, it was a fantastic opportunity for the invited professionals to enjoy supper, meet

each other, or catch up whilst sharing any issues with the TBA. Simultaneously it provided the TBA with the chance to share news and updates and gain a greater understanding of areas that the TBA can assist breeding operations. Many ideas were put forward, all of which the TBA is currently looking into.

We would like to thank all of those who attended and are planning more evenings of this nature in each region later in the year.

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w w w. t h e t b a . c o . u k

Owner/breeders to lead the TBA The appointment of Julian Richmond-Watson as the Chairman of the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association and Philippa Cooper as Vice-Chairman has been announced.

Both terms of office will commence on July 7, when the current Chairman, Richard Lancaster, will step down after serving his three-year term that began in July 2012. The TBA would like to express its appreciation to Richard Lancaster for his time, commitment and leadership.

Commenting on his new appointment, Julian Richmond-Watson, owner/breeder of Lawn Stud and previous TBA Vice-Chairman, said: “I am delighted and honoured to become the next TBA Chairman. I look forward to working with the Board and executive team in Stanstead House to continue and to enhance the work the TBA does on behalf of its members and the wider world of British racing.

“There are many challenges, both veterinary and regulatory, that the TBA deals with under the radar but these are just as important as promoting breeders’ interests through direct support, education and training as well as the race programme.

“We will continue to work with all the parties involved in British racing and remind

New TBA Chairman Julian Richmond-Watson and Vice-Chairman Philippa Cooper

them that horse population statistics and fixture lists rely on individual mating decisions made by us breeders and the miracle of foaling that each and every one of us witnesses.”

The new Vice-Chairman, Philippa Cooper of Normandie Stud in Sussex, joined the TBA Board as an elected member in July 2014.

She commented: “It is a privilege to have been elected as deputy to Julian Richmond-Watson, by what could be the most dynamic and effective TBA Board in the almost 100-year history of the Thoroughbred

TBA Seminar ‘Nutrition and the Environment’

Don’t miss out on your last chance to register There is still time to register for the TBA Annual Seminar, which this year takes place on two dates and at two different venues, as follows:

July 15 at Tattersalls Park Paddocks, Newmarket July 16 at Newbury Racecourse

The seminars are sponsored by Saracen Feeds, and speakers include Joe Pagan (KER), Roger Allman, Emily Haggett, Celia Marr (Newmarket), James Crowhurst (Newmarket), Richard Hepburn (Newbury) and Charlie Pinkham (Newbury). Please contact Christine Standley at Stanstead House by email on Christine.standley@thetba.co.uk or telephone 01638 661321.

Entries close in a few days for the National Hunt ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ Foal Show The TBA is delighted to be hosting the third National Hunt ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ Foal Show at Bangor-on-Dee racecourse on Sunday, July 26.

The entries close on July 6 but spectators are welcome on the day. Entry is free.

The day provides an opportunity for mare owners to showcase their young stock, with separate classes for colt and filly foals, and a championship in which the first and secondTHOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

placed foals from all classes will be asked to come forward for the judging of the champion and reserve champion of the show.

Judges from England, Ireland and France will choose the winners who, in their opinion, have the potential to make a good racehorse.

A schedule and entry form has been posted to all members recently. Please ensure all entries are received by July 6. For further information, please email pauline.stoddart@thetba.co.uk

Breeders’ Association.

“The incoming Chairman and I share the same views on all of the upcoming issues facing the TBA and we both want the TBA to succeed in making things happen.

“The small breeder will always remain uppermost in my mind, and I will continue to strive to see their interests protected.”

A BHA graduate for Stanstead House The TBA is delighted to be a sponsor of the BHA Graduate Scheme once again and this year we will be joined by Chloe Pitts, a history graduate from King’s College London, for eight weeks from July 13.

Chloe will be involved in several projects while at Stanstead House and will no doubt be speaking to members during the course of her time with us.

Originally from Devon, where she has worked in point-to-point and racing yards, Chloe now lives near Newmarket and has spent time riding out for James Fanshawe and attending the sales in between her time at university. Chloe is particularly interested in pedigrees and bloodstock matters, so the TBA was Chloe’s placement of choice as she aims to make her career in the breeding industry.

Chloe Pitts joins the TBA team

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TBA FORUM

RoR/TBA Retrained Racehorse Challenge

Cadoudal gelding Rester Vrai took the championship class at Royal Windsor Horse Show

The Castle Arena at the Royal Windsor Horse Show hosted the final of the RoR/TBA Retrained Racehorse Challenge Championship. This was the second final sponsored by the TBA, which sees finalists entered from the qualifying classes in 2014.

A total of 25 combinations were brought forward for judging, during which the horses are required to jump a course of rustic fences before completing an individual show in front of a panel of judges. Finally, horses are assessed on their conformation, although any racing injuries are overlooked.

The well deserving and eye-catching

winner, Rester Vrai (Cadoudal ex Moulouya), was the first into the ring, but left a lasting impression on the judges. The handsome tenyear-old grey is owned and ridden by Katie Dashwood. Originally from Lambourn, Katie obtained the horse straight out of training from John Cornwall nearly three years ago.

Having always had ex-racehorses, Katie admits that Rester Vrai is “not a straightforward horse”, but the pairing has been helped immensely by Louise Bell, and Katie is the first to acknowledge this. The TBA looks forward to seeing them back next year to defend their title.

Hetty Keyes with her Reserve Champion rosette and sash for Sir Charlie Hutch

The TBA would like to report that Hetty Keyes was belatedly awarded her Reserve Champion rosette and sash for the RoR/TBA Challenge. Due to a scoring error Hetty and her horse, Sir Charlie Hutch, were omitted from the line-up at Windsor.

Breeders’ Prizes National Hunt HBLB Breeders’ Prizes worth £1,000 or more Breeder

Prize (£)

Horse

Sire

Dam

Based on date money was paid

Date

Course

Grand Jury Partnership

1,500

Emerald Rose

Sir Harry Lewis

Swiss Rose

05/05/2015

Fakenham

Mrs P. Wright

1,250

Honourable Gent

Gentleman's Deal

Gudasmum

07/05/2015

Carlisle

Diana Blunt & The Late Mrs S. Addinsell

5,000

War Sound

Kayf Tara

Come The Dawn

09/05/2015

Haydock Park

Mrs M. A. Jukes

2,500

Big Casino

Court Cave

Migsy Malone

09/05/2015

Haydock Park

Mrs S. Johnson

1,750

No Planning

Kayf Tara

Poor Celt

09/05/2015

Haydock Park

Stuart McPhee Bloodstock Ltd

1,000

Make It Happen

Saffron Walden

Kelpie

24/05/2015

Kelso

Mrs F. Marriott

1,500

Dabinett Moon

Midnight Legend

Miss Crabapple

29/05/2015

Stratford

Exors Of The Late Sir Eric Parker

1,250

Red Seventy

Sakhee

Dimakya

31/05/2015

Fakenham

See Breeders' Prizes table effective from January 1 on TBA website, www.thetba.co.uk. Prizes subject to confirmation of qualification with Weatherbys

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THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

ownerbreeder ad pages 07.2015_OwnerBreeder Ad pages 06.2015 23/06/2015 09:36 Page 83

The TBA Young Members’ Club Executive Position available

A unique opportunity to work on an exciting new initiative

An additional and crucial objective of the TBA is to encourage young people to participate in the breeding industry. We are seeking to appoint a dynamic, enthusiastic and ‘hands-on’ individual to be responsible for the administration and management of a new TBA club targeted at young members.

The successful candidate will be required to work with a newly formed TBA committee to develop this new initiative into an effective members’ club. You will work with, and be supported by, the TBA Membership Manager and the TBA Communications and Marketing Director, key responsibilities to include: organisation and delivery of the club launch, recruitment and retention of members, daily management of online platforms and on-going membership communications, organisation of club partnerships and membership benefit initiatives, delivery of events and supporting on TBA projects and administration.

The Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (TBA) represents and promotes the interests of British Breeders. It exists to support the breeding of quality bloodstock and represents breeders’ interests both within Great Britain and the European Commission. The TBA also assists members and the industry in all areas of Excellent communication, interpersonal and computer skills are essential, Thoroughbred breeding. together with creative and strategic thinking and a confident knowledge of the

horseracing and/or breeding industry. This position is offered initially on a one year fixed term contract with a salary and benefits package dependent on relevant experience and skills. Please apply by sending a CV and covering letter to Lucinda.Miller@thetba.co.uk by Friday July 10th.

For more info on this or additional roles at the TBA please visit our website

Protecting a heritage, representing a future.

thetba.co.uk

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PUBLICATIONS “INTERN” initially from August to end of February 2016 helping with all aspects of publication management.

For further details on either role, please call +44 (0)1380 816777 or email - office@anderson-co.com Closing date for applications - July 17th 2015. Both positions based at our rural offices in Berwick St Leonard (Wiltshire).

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Jul_131_BreederOfTheMonth_Owner 23/06/2015 18:20 Page 84

BREEDER OF THE MONTH

www.thetba.co.uk

Words Alan Yuill Walker Sponsored by

Manufacturers of

BREEDER OF THE MONTH – May 2015

Juddmonte Farms

GEORGE SELWYN

The Poule d’Essai des Poulains and the Prix du Jockey Club were both run in May and the respective winners of these two French Classics have determined the two monthly breeders’ awards.

Make Believe (see below) won the French 2,000 Guineas and New Bay, runner-up at Longchamp, won the French Derby at Chantilly.

There is a further connection between the two colts as Make Believe belongs to the first crop of Makfi (now standing in France), who is by New Bay’s sire Dubawi.

New Bay was bred by Juddmonte Farms, which won the equivalent award last year when Kingman triumphed in the Irish 2,000 Guineas – both colts are great grandsons of Bahamian. For good measure, Bahamian is also the dam of Wemyss Bight (Irish Oaks and dam of Beat Hollow), and grandam of Oasis Dream, whose half-sister Zenda (dam of Kingman) won the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches.

Only a select few have ever been entrusted with buying new stock for Juddmonte over the years and Bahamian (Mill Reef – Sorbus) was bought by George Blackwell as a yearling for 310,000gns at the 1986 Highflyer Yearling Sales and went on to win the Lingfield Oaks Trial.

Juddmonte has now bred 22 individual winners of 24 Classic races in Europe. Khalid Abdullah’s only other winner of the French Derby was Sanglamore, who scored at Chantilly in 1990. Unlike New Bay, who is trained there by Andre Fabre, Sanglamore was part of a near sensational treble in his first season for Roger Charlton when Quest For Fame won the Derby and Deploy was a close runner-up in the Irish Derby – all three were Juddmonte homebreds.

Cinnamon Bay, the dam of New Bay, is a Juddmonte-bred through and through being a daughter of Zenda’s sire, Zamindar. She too gained her principal success at Chantilly (Prix d’Angerville) and, apart from visiting Dubawi, has been mated exclusively with Juddmonte stallions.

Like Kingman, New Bay is a great grandson of Bahamian

December Sales, Rosie’s Posy’s half-sisters Tante Rose and Bay Tree realised 350,000gns and 450,000gns respectively.

The explanation for such a wide disparity in prices was the interim success of Tante Rose in the Fred Darling Stakes (next season she won the Haydock Sprint Cup) and Bay Tree in the Sweet Solera Stakes.

By the time Simon and Margaret Hope of Aston Mullins Stud (see feature, pages 56 to 59) – the breeders of Make Believe who currently have a broodmare band of a dozen – purchased Rosie’s Posy at Goffs in February 2003, her price tag had jumped to €24,000. Having been covered by Tobougg, she was then bought in for 50,000gns at the December Sales.

Prior to producing Make Believe, Rosie’s Posy was responsible for Dubawi Heights. In 2011, the year that she visited Makfi (then standing at Tweenhills Farm) to produce her three-parts brother Make Believe, Dubawi Heights won the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes at Hollywood Park and Grade 1 Yellow Ribbon Stakes at Santa Anita.

Both Dubawi Heights and Make Believe had been consigned by Aston Mullins Stud to Tattersalls’ December Foal Sale, the former realising 62,000gns in 2007 and the latter 180,000gns in 2012. The ensuing week the Hopes sold Rosie’s Posy herself, carrying to Oasis Dream, for 400,000gns. What a sound investment she has proved.

SPECIAL MERIT – May 2015

Aston Mullins Stud With bloodstock, fluctuations in the value of female relatives is a constant source of fascination. Take for example the case of Rosie’s Posy, the dam of Poule d’Essai des Poulains hero Make Believe.

At Tattersalls’ 2002 Autumn Sale, this winning daughter of Irish 1,000 Guineas third My Branch was sold out of Barry Hills’s stable on behalf of her owner/breeder, Wafic Said (Addison Racing), for just 2,200gns. The following year as part of the Wafic Said dispersal at the

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Jul_131_NGC_Owner 23/06/2015 17:53 Page 85

N E X T G E N E R AT I O N C L U B

www.nextgenerationclub.com

By Lydia Symonds

The perfect start at the National Stud

NATIONAL STUD

No previous experience of horses necessary for youngsters keen to break into the industry

Apprenticeship trainees are given a thorough grounding in stud life over nine weeks

P

ursuing a job in an unfamiliar setting can be a daunting prospect for any fresh-faced teen straight out of school.

The National Stud apprenticeship, sponsored by the TBA, is the perfect starting point for even the most unseasoned of youngsters hoping to make it in the world of bloodstock.

Tabitha Smith, the Director of Training at the National Stud, says the course receives a diverse pool of applicants, with some never having touched a horse before they walk through the gates of Newmarket’s famous stud.

“Some are keen followers of racing, many have a family link, but a lot of them have no link to the industry at all,” she explains.

The course starts with a nine week preapprenticeship at the National Stud, which is preparation for the beginning of their apprenticeship proper at a stud.

“In the nine weeks they are here they live on site and have everything provided for them before they leave to start their apprenticeships.” says Smith.

For many this will serve as their first insight into the racing industry and they mainly assist in preparation of the breeding stock for the sales.

“We get them ready for their placements on studs when they leave us, but not just that, we are also entirely responsible for their pastoral and academic learning,” says Smith.

The timetable is extensive and ranges from horse care to farm maintenance. But other needs are taken care of too, such as evening

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

lessons in cookery and even laundry.

The students aged between 16 and 24 are sent into the world of work fully prepared for anything that will be thrown at them.

“We have to keep in touch and contact with the students after they have left us,” says Smith. “When they are on the apprenticeship we go out to visit them every eight to 12 weeks and continue to provide the pastoral support to the student and to the employer.

“But the help and support they give each other is great. The biggest thing that we try and teach them is the importance of teamwork, which can only help them in the world of employment.”

Getting to know some of the apprentices . . .

Emily Steers, 19, from Barnsley, Yorkshire.

Stud: Shadwell “I started at the British Racing School in 2012 and ended up going to ride out for John Norton. I started an apprenticeship in show-jumping but I didn’t enjoy it as much as working with racehorses so applied for the National Stud apprenticeship. The training team there were brilliant with us and they helped us a lot through it. They are still a huge support to us all now, which is great.”

Connor McLaughlin, 18, from Newmarket, Suffolk. Stud: Cheveley Park “I thought about riding for a little while, but I think I just thought I would rather be at their side rather than on top of them! I went to the sales with bloodstock agent Rob Speers and I took a really big interest and he said I should do the National Stud pre-apprenticeship.

They teach you all the practical stuff with horses that are quiet as lambs so you are eased in. I love working at Cheveley Park, it’s different class. The horses you work with, you can see their babes run day in day out, which is great. I love the foaling. I can’t wait for two years down the line when they are running on the track, that will be really exciting.”

Chelsie Prentice, 18, from Bedingfield, Suffolk. Stud: Shadwell “I rode as a hobby when I was younger and always liked horses. I went to Shadwell Stud to have a look round and they were talking about the apprenticeship then.

We had a look at it online and signed up for it straight away. I enjoyed the preapprenticeship; my favourite part was the sales because it was such a different environment. Everyone was so nice and helpful and there is a good support base.”

Daniel Mansworth, 19, from Essex.

Stud: Lanwades “I got a job at a small stud in Devon and really loved it and decided that I wanted to work in bloodstock, but I didn’t really have a way in. I grew up with mainly hunt horses and did Pony Club and a little bit with pointers as well. So I wrote to the National Stud to get more information and got on to the apprenticeship. The great thing about the pre-apprenticeship was getting on the yard very early on and learning how it’s done right from the word go. They were also a good support. I still speak to many of the people from the National Stud now. I mostly enjoy dealing with the stallions.”

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VET FORUM: THE EXPERT VIEW

By ROB PILSWORTH BVSc, MRCVS

Gelding: the unkindest cut?

Examining the benefits of and risks involved in castrating horses in training

O

How is castration achieved?

In most cases, racehorse castration is done standing under local anaesthetic with sedation and pain relief as necessary. The testicles and spermatic cords are first injected with local anaesthetic, which is allowed to ‘cook’ for about

86

Standing castration about to be performed by the author. This is a ‘clean’ procedure, but by no means sterile. The wounds therefore have to be left open to allow drainage of potential infection

15-20 minutes. Once the tissues are totally desensitised, then a slash incision is made into the scrotum. The testicle is exteriorised, and it is removed with an elaborate piece of surgical equipment called an emasculator. This instrument has a set of interlocking crushing blades with a cutting blade placed at the bottom of the array.

Once the testicular cord is clamped in the emasculator the testicle will usually fall off but the cord is retained within the interlocking crushing blades for approximately one to two minutes. This crushing of the tissue has two results. One is it creates trauma to the tissues which cause them to swell once the crush is released. When a tube, such as a blood vessel

A horse fully prepared and draped for castration in the operating theatre. This is sterile surgery, with minimal risk of infection, so the wounds can be sutured, leaving very little evidence of the surgery, and allowing a rapid return to training

swells, the internal diameter is reduced, so blood flow will be less. The second effect is for the blood to be held in position long enough to begin the clotting process, which carries on once the clamp is removed.

An alternative method of castration is to anesthetise the horse and carry out the procedure with the horse on its back, as a completely sterile operation in an operating theatre. This has the advantage of minimal postcastration swelling as there is no infection in the area, which can be a common problem with standing open castrations.

The downside is that all anaesthesia carries a risk of death in the horse. This has been calculated as approximately 1% in equine practice, and can be as low as 0.5% in the major well-equipped equine hospitals. This still means that 1 in 200 routine castrations would be expected to end in the death of the horse for one reason or another. In a large survey published in the Equine Veterinary Journal the costs and complications of castration both ways were compared. The mortality from 100 cases of standing castration was zero but from a 100 such procedures done under anaesthetic one horse died, backing up these statistics.

Potential complications

COURTESY OF BEN MASON-ROSSDALES

winners”.

Towards the backend of the training season, significant numbers of colts have their testicles removed as they leave behind their two year-old careers. Most trainers perceive geldings to be easier to train than colts, and if they have not shown enough ability for a stud career to beckon by then, there is little to lose.

Once the horse is three, it is fully skeletally developed, although some would argue not totally mature, and removal of the reproductive ‘tackle’ will have little impact on growth or physique development. Geldings do tend to become lighter and lose some of the secondary sexual characteristics, such as the fat in the crest of the neck, so have their own particular appearance, but in terms of performance, they appear not to be handicapped.

In the National Hunt world the majority of horses entering training as ‘stores’ will already have been gelded prior to entering training. This is normally done at the end of the yearling year, either standing or following a short anaesthetic.

By and large, National Hunt stallions tend to be derived from the longer-distance staying pedigrees of Flat horses rather than because of proven prowess over jumps, and very few ‘jumpers’ are entire horses.

Once gelded, management of these horses becomes significantly more straightforward.

Geldings can be turned out together in a field without fear of them injuring each other by fighting and can even be turned out with fillies or mares, although in some cases they can develop sexual behaviour subsequent to gelding, particularly following a change in location or mixing with horses who they have not been in contact with before.

There have been many ‘what if?’ stories, where regret is voiced that horses like the great Teleprompter, and indeed the last two winners of the Dubai World Cup, African Story and Prince Bishop, had been gelded, but these horses were transformed by the procedure, and may never have reached these heights left entire.

COURTESY OF BEN MASON-ROSSDALES

ne of my former trainers, Dave Thom, had a saying: “Give me a yard full of geldings and I’ll give you a yard full of

As with all intrusive surgical procedures in the horse there is potential for things to go wrong.

With castrations done under general anaesthetic there are all the attendant risks of putting a 500kg animal on its back and up again. In addition to this, occasional cases show prolonged bleeding after the surgery, which results in significant swelling that sometimes has to be resolved by opening the scrotal sac. This negates any advantage of castration in an operating theatre under anaesthesia, as the horse then requires the same aftercare and time off as if done standing in the first place.

For standing castrations, problems include prolonged bleeding, which can occur irrespective of the length of time the cord has been clamped for. This can become serious enough to require a further surgery to identify the bleeding vessels and tie them off, but this is rare. Another rare complication is herniation of intestines through the potential space left in the inguinal canal with removal of the testicle. The intestines can either get trapped under the skin producing severe colic, or worse still dangle out of the abdomen and become contaminated and contused. This presents a very serious risk to the

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Jul_131_Vet_Forum_Owner Breeder 23/06/2015 17:42 Page 87

COURTESY OF MATT SMITH-NEH

What terms are acceptable in the description of male horses at sales?

A horse undergoing standing laparoscopic surgery at the Newmarket Equine Hospital. The horse is standing in stocks, under the green plastic sterile drapes, to the right, and the surgeons are working on the internal organs by using a small camera and video display. ‘Rig’ castrations are now often done in this way

horse’s survival and requires immediate surgery to attempt to clean the exposed bowel and return it to the abdomen. Fortunately this is extremely rare in the thoroughbred.

The most common complication is infection at the site of the castration. This procedure leaves an open wound and obviously the horse can lie down in bedding full of urine and faeces on the same day it has been castrated, therefore potentially contaminating the open surgical site.

Almost all open castrations will become infected to a degree, and this produces a mild amount of swelling and inflammation in the site.

Because the wounds are left wide-open these infections can normally drain and resolve themselves, but occasionally the scrotal wounds will heal prematurely, trapping in infection and creating a large ‘bag’ of infected fluid that has to be released, sometimes on more than one occasion, before the infection will fully resolve.

This can add expense to the procedure.

‘Rigs’ We take it for granted that in a normal male mammal the testicles will be contained in a sac between the hind legs called the scrotum, but

Under the Conditions of Sale at Tattersalls the definitions of different classes of male horses is as follows: “A stallion is a male horse at stud. A gelding is a male horse which has been castrated (i.e. had both testicles removed in their entirety). A colt is a male horse up to and including the age of four years provided that he is not properly describable as a Stallion or Gelding. A Horse is a male horse five years of age or over not properly describable as a Stallion or Gelding. The description Stallion or Colt or Horse does not exclude a rig or crypt-orchid (the term rig or crypt-orchid applies to male horses in which one or both testes do not descend into the scrotum from the abdomen at the usual time).”

Under these conditions of sale, therefore, a rig can still be described as a colt or horse in the catalogue, and it is up to the purchaser to ascertain prior to the sale whether the horse has both testicles present or not, as there is no return clause for this condition. that is not where they start out in life. Because all vertebrate mammals descended in the first place from fish, via the amphibians and reptiles, the reproductive tissue begins life in the mammalian embryo next to the kidney which lies just under and either side of the backbone. Fish still have their reproductive organs in this site.

During the long evolutionary history of the mammal, at some stage it became a biological advantage for the testicle to be situated outside the body cavity, presumably because of increased fertility when the testicles are held at a lower temperature than the core temperature of a mammal. Not all mammals have a scrotum – the elephant being a prime example of one in which the testicles are intraabdominal. Most however do, and the testicle begins its descent from adjacent to the spine to its position in the scrotum by migrating along a tissue ‘cord’, leaving the abdomen via a potential ‘hole’ called the inguinal canal, where the layers of muscle tissue which overlap as the body wall leave a potential site of transit. The inguinal canal is also commonly the site of hernia formation, both in man and in the horse, where some of the abdominal contents that are not supposed to pass through it do so.

A rig is a male horse in which one or both

Laparoscopic rig castration In recent years, horses that have one or more retained testicles have been increasingly subjected to laparoscopic surgery, rather than a general anaesthetic, and exploration of the abdomen through a large incision. In laparoscopy the horse remains standing and sedated and the skin of the flank is desensitised by injection of local anaesthetic. A small incision is made and a telescope inserted into the abdomen to locate the retained testicle, which can be removed using specialist laparoscopic equipment inserted through a second entry portal. The advantage of laparoscopic surgery is that the horse does suffer the innate risk of general anaesthesia. The disadvantage is that the horse has to be starved for a couple of days prior to examination so that the abdomen is empty enough to see the organs within it. Downtime however is minimal and once the stitches have been removed from the skin incisions, normal training can recommence.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

testicles have failed to make this journey from adjacent to the kidney into the scrotum successfully. The testicle can be held up at any site along its route of transit. In some horses it is found still adjacent to the kidney having never set off. In others it will often be just inside of the inguinal canal, having successfully made the descent that far, but then for some reason failed to get through the canal and into the scrotum.

Rigs present three main potential problems: firstly, they can give the external appearance of being geldings, with no apparent testicles, but retain the behaviour of fully developed colts or stallions, so can be dangerous.

Secondly, some trainers believe that having one testicle retained within the abdomen inhibits the performance of a male horse at full stretch because of the feeling of ‘dragging’ as the cord in the inguinal canal tightens.

Whilst it is difficult to prove this, many trainers prefer to have the retained testicle removed, even if they leave the normal testicle in-situ. This has to be declared on the horse’s passport, even if one testicle is left in the scrotum.

The highly successful stallion Selkirk is perhaps the best-known example of this. He didn’t show much in his early career, but blossomed after removal of the abdominal testicle. He was equally successful at stud, both in terms of fertility and progeny, proving beyond doubt that having only one testicle does not necessarily impact on a breeding career at stud.

Finally, because most colts end up being gelded at some stage in their career, for horses with a retained testicle, this transforms the normally straightforward standing procedure into a much more complicated affair. This either involves laparoscopy (see left) or general anaesthesia and an abdominal operation, where the missing testicle has to be manually searched for within the abdomen, and then removed.

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DR STAT JOHN BOYCE CRACKS THE CODE

The greater the distance, the more there is on offer ‘Commercial’ breeders may favour sprint sires but there are fewer opportunities for their stock

I

n every human endeavour, including in the sporting arena, it seems that the concept of equal opportunity will always be high in our consciousness. In the world of horseracing and breeding, though, we have some way to go to give all our equine athletes equal opportunity regardless of their aptitude.

There is no doubt that in today’s European racing scene, a stallion has to be strong on stamina to have any realistic chance of becoming champion sire. And that is not to belittle the great champion sires we have had recently, it’s merely to point out the obvious fact of the matter.

In Britain in 2014 the average win prizemoney for Group 1 races at ten furlongs and above was considerably higher at £340,000 than that available to races short of that distance, which averaged £204,000. In fact, this bias goes all the way to the bottom of the class pyramid: all races at less than a mile in 2014 had on average win prize-money of £6,841, which is 39% less than the £11,151 available to winners at 12 furlongs and above. This advantage, or disadvantage depending on your viewpoint, is then compounded further when you factor in the numbers of horses competing, as shorter races tend to have more runners on average.

We can see straight away that stallions that specialise in speed are at a huge disadvantage on the traditional leading sires’ list that use earnings as a barometer of success.

Unfortunately, that bias runs to black type as well. Short of a mile there was only one black type race for every 238 starters in Britain last year, whereas at a mile and a half and over there was a stakes race for every 140 runners. In races from eight to ten furlongs the number was 177.

But how does this reward structure shape the breeding industry? There has been much talk recently of the paucity of competition in our big middle-distance races and the reason commonly offered is the commercial market. In an era where breeders are predominately sellers of yearlings, everyone, the story goes, wants to breed a fast-maturing speedy horse that will be popular with potential buyers. Even some of the former traditional owner/breeders such as Hascombe & Valiant, breeder of the Derby winner Golden Horn, are now well-established

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RACING IN BRITAIN 2014 Distribution of prize-money and black type by distance Range

Win £ per race

Ratio All Rnrs /BT Race

11,151

140

10F to 11.9F

8,806

153

8F to 9.9F

7,830

195

<8F

6,841

238

12F+

commercial studs.

In 2014, there were 113 individual stallions who sired ten or more runners in Britain.

Remarkably, only 14 posted an average winning distance of 11 furlongs or higher among their three-year-old and older stock. Significantly, this group contains Galileo. He and his sire Sadler’s Wells are responsible for 20 of the past 25 sire championships in Britain and Ireland. The five titles that did not fall to Galileo or his sire went to three stallions, Caerleon, Danehill (three titles) and Danehill Dancer, who proved capable of siring a top-class middledistance horse.

It’s worth breaking down the stallions of 2014 in distance groups along the lines of the world thoroughbred rankings.

As we have already said, 14 (12%) could be classified as ‘long’ sires, while 24 (21%) fall into the 9.5 to 10.5 furlong category and 31 (27%) stallions have stock with an average winning distance of around a mile. This leaves the remaining 44 (40%) to be classified as sprint sires, those with a stamina index of less than a mile. So 67% of all sires with ten or

more runners in Britain in 2014 had a stamina index less than 9.5 furlongs, where both earning potential and black type opportunities are at their poorest.

Step back ten years and the corresponding percentages were seven, 21, 24, 13 and 35.

On the basis of these figures, it is hard to argue that the number of stallions in the staying sector is falling away. That said, because there are always relatively so few, the absence in any given year of top-flight runners by the likes of Galileo, Montjeu or Sadler’s Wells could create the impression of weakness. Interestingly, it is still unclear which staying sire can take over the mantle from Galileo in due course.

The irony is that it may well be necessary to continue to reward stayers disproportionately in order to ensure that breeders, yearling buyers and ultimately stallion studs continue to value the type of stallion that provides the racehorses we all want to see on our racecourses.

Spare a thought for the sprint sires, though.

The mighty Galileo: it is unclear which staying sire can take over his mantle

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DATA BOOK STAKES RESULTS

European Group 1s 47 POULE D’ESSAI DES POULAINS P.LE PARISIEN G1 LONGCHAMP. May 10. 3yoc. 1600m.

1. MAKE BELIEVE (GB) 9-2 £243,620 b c by Makfi - Rosie’s Posy (Suave Dancer) O-Prince A. A. Faisal B-Aston Mullins Stud TR-A. Fabre 2. New Bay (GB) 9-2 £97,465 ch c by Dubawi - Cinnamon Bay (Zamindar) O-Mr K. Abdullah B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd TR-A. Fabre 3. Mr Owen (USA) 9-2 £48,733 b c by Invincible Spirit - Mrs Lindsay (Theatrical) O-M. Offenstadt & Mme S. Jenney B-Derry Meeting Farm TR-Francois Rohaut Margins 3, 1.5. Time 1:36.85. Going Good to Soft.

Age 2-3

Starts 4

Wins 3

Places 1

Earned £280,607

Sire: MAKFI. Sire of 3 Stakes winners. In 2015 - MAKE BELIEVE Suave Dancer G1, MARKY MARK Testa Rossa G1, CORNWALLVILLE Cadeaux Genereux LR. 1st Dam: ROSIE’S POSY by Suave Dancer. Winner at 2. Dam of 3 winners: 2004: Crown of Roses (f Tobougg) unraced.

2005: GENEROUS THOUGHT (c Cadeaux Genereux) 3 wins at 2 and 3.

2007: DUBAWI HEIGHTS (f Dubawi) 5 wins at 3 and 4 in USA, Yellow Ribbon S G1, Gamely S G1, 2nd Beverly D S G1. Broodmare.

2008: Welsh Dancer (g Dubawi) 2009: Red Coast (c Cape Cross) ran on the flat in Japan.

2010: Hazy Days (g Green Desert) ran and ran a few times over hurdles.

2012: MAKE BELIEVE (c Makfi) 3 wins at 2 and 3 in France, Poule d’Essai des Poulains P.le Parisien G1, 2nd Prix Djebel G3.

2013: Estikmaal (c Oasis Dream) unraced to date.

2014: (c Frankel) 2nd Dam: MY BRANCH by Distant Relative. 4 wins at 2 and 3 Shadwell Stud Firth of Clyde S LR, Kyoto Sceptre S LR, 2nd Shadwell Stud Cheveley Park S G1, 3rd Airlie Coolmore Irish 1000 Guineas G1. Dam of TANTE ROSE (f Barathea: Stanleybet Sprint Cup G1), BAY TREE (f Daylami: Sweet Solera S LR, 3rd Tattersalls Musidora S G3), Melodramatic (f Sadler’s Wells: 2nd Lord Weinstock Mem. Ballymacoll S LR).

Grandam of GOTHIC DANCE, Rose Diamond.

Broodmare Sire: SUAVE DANCER. Sire of the dams of 15 Stakes winners.

MAKE BELIEVE b c 2012 Dubawi MAKFI b 07 Dhelaal

Suave Dancer ROSIE’S POSY b 99 My Branch

Dubai Millennium Seeking The Gold Colorado Dancer Deploy Zomaradah Jawaher Danzig Green Desert Foreign Courier Irish River Irish Valley Green Valley Nijinsky Green Dancer Green Valley Alleged Suavite Guinevere’s Folly Distant Relative Habitat Royal Sister II High Top Pay The Bank Zebra Grass

One common denominator between Dubai Millennium, his son Dubawi and grandson Makfi was that all three succeeded in winning the Prix Jacques le Marois. Now they have something else in common – each of the three has succeeded in siring a ‘Guineas winner in his first crop.

Dubai Millennium’s contribution was Dubawi, winner of the 2005 Irish 2,000 Guineas; Dubawi in turn sired Makfi, hero of the 2010 2,000 Guineas; and now Makfi has highlighted his potential by siring Make Believe, a very impressive winner of the 2015 Poule d’Essai des Poulains.

Make Believe was well qualified to contest a Guineas race, as his dam Rosie’s Posy is a half-sister to Tante Rose, who contested the 1,000 Guineas after winning one of the trials, the Fred Darling Stakes. Their dam My Branch had taken fourth place in the 1996 1,000 Guineas before finishing third in the Irish equivalent. There are also some Classic connections further back in Make Believe’s female line, which once did sterling work for the late Jim Joel. His fifth dam Ash Lawn, in addition to being a sister to the Hardwicke Stakes winner Selhurst, was a half-sister to the 2,000 Guineas and Derby winner Royal Palace and to Glass Slipper, dam of the Classic winners Fairy Footsteps (1,000 Guineas) and Light Cavalry (St Leger). Ash Lawn’s third dam Picture Play won the 1944 1,000 Guineas.

Make Believe is also inbred 4 x 4 to Green Valley. This distinguished broodmare produced the Poule d’Essai des Poulains winner Green Dancer, as well as Irish Valley, who became the dam of the champion two-year-old Alhaarth and second dam of Makfi. The Green Valley family has also produced a Derby winner in Authorized and an Arc winner in Solemia.

Make Believe’s dam Rosie’s Posy first distinguished herself with her Dubawi filly Dubawi Heights. Sold for 75,000gns after showing useful form at two, Dubawi Heights developed into a Gr1 winner over nine and ten furlongs on turf in America. She was resold soon afterwards for $1,600,000, for export to Japan, where she produced a Deep Impact filly in 2013.

Rosie’s Posy was also sold, for 400,000gns in 2012, carrying Estikmaal, an Oasis Dream colt which in turn made 400,000gns when offered as a yearling in 2014. Rosie’s Posy’s next foal is a colt from the first crop by Frankel.

Rosie’s Posy’s year-younger halfsister Tante Rose was sold as part of the complete dispersal of Wafic Said’s Addison Racing in 2003. She realised 350,000gns, whereas her Listedwinning half-sister Bay Tree made 450,000gns. Their dam My Branch had sold for 420,000gns a year earlier. Tante Rose justified her price by winning the Gr1 Sprint Cup at Haydock.

My Branch is also a half-sister to Galileo’s son Celestial Halo, who developed into a high-class hurdler after showing very useful form on the Flat.

48 PRIX POULE D’ESSAI DES POULICHES G1 LONGCHAMP. May 10. 3yof. 1600m.

1. ERVEDYA (FR) 9-0 £199,326 b f by Siyouni - Elva (King’s Best) O-H.H. Aga Khan B-The Aga Khan's Studs Sc TR-Jean Claude Rouget 2. Irish Rookie (IRE) 9-0 £79,744 b f by Azamour - Bold Assumption (Observatory) O-Mr Rick Barnes B-K. and Mrs Cullen TR-Martyn Meade 3. Mexican Gold (USA) 9-0 £39,872

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

b f by Medaglia d’Oro - Hachita (Gone West) O-Mr K. Abdullah B-Juddmonte Farms Inc TR-A. Fabre Margins 0.75, Neck. Time 1:36.48.

Going Good to Soft.

Age 2-3

Starts 7

Wins 5

Places 2

Earned £372,488

Sire: SIYOUNI. Sire of 4 Stakes winners.

1st Dam: Elva by King’s Best. 2 wins at 2 and 3 in France, 2nd Prix Vanteaux G3. Dam of 3 winners: 2009: ELMAL (c Dalakhani) 3 wins.

2010: Elayouna (f Dr Fong) unraced.

2011: ENNAYA (f Nayef) 2 wins at 3 in France.

2012: ERVEDYA (f Siyouni). 5 wins at 2 and 3 in France, Prix Poule d’Essai des Pouliches G1, Prix de Cabourg Jockey Club de Turquie G3, Prix Imprudence G3, 2nd Total Prix Marcel Boussac G1, 3rd Darley Prix Morny G1.

2013: (f Exceed And Excel) 2nd Dam: EVORA by Marju. 1 win at 2. Dam of Elva (f King’s Best, see above) Broodmare Sire: KING’S BEST. Sire of the dams of 22 Stakes winners. In 2015 - ERVEDYA Siyouni G1, KARAKTAR High Chaparral G3, BE SAFE Holy Roman Emperor LR, MOSTANEER Dutch Art LR, MULTITUDE Multidimensional LR.

ERVEDYA b f 2012 Nureyev Marie d’Argonne Cozzene Fearless Revival Stufida Danzig Danehill Razyana Slipstream Queen Conquistador Cielo Country Queen Mr Prospector Kingmambo Miesque Lombard Allegretta Anatevka Last Tycoon Marju Flame of Tara The Minstrel Eviyrna Euliya Polar Falcon

Pivotal SIYOUNI b 07 Sichilla

King’s Best ELVA b 04 Evora

When I studied the entries for France’s four Classics in the April issue, I pointed out that the Aga Khan’s Siyouni has a team of ten individuals – a statistic that sounds all the more impressive when I add that they come from a crop numbering no more than 80 and that this crop was sired at a fee of only €7,000. If you attribute Siyouni’s impressive total of Classic entrants to his having been heavily supported by the Aga Khan, you would be wrong. Only one of the ten was owned by the Aga, but that one – Ervedya – was good enough to give her breeder yet another French Classic success, with a stylish success in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches.

Ervedya wasted no time in showing that she had inherited plenty of the two-year-old ability which had brought Siyouni four wins from six juvenile starts, including the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. After winning her first three starts she finished a good third in the Prix Morny and second in the Prix Marcel Boussac.

Although Siyouni failed to win in his second season, his Timeform rating rose from 117 to 122, so it couldn’t be said that he hadn’t trained on. Ervedya has certainly improved from two to three, as she has proved with her victories in the Prix Imprudence and in the Pouliches. She is the third winner from the first four foals out of Elva, a King’s Best mare

who was second in the Gr3 Prix Vanteaux over an extended nine furlongs as a three-year-old.

The fact that Elva was retained shows that the Aga Khan hasn’t lost faith in this female line, even though Ervedya is the first stakes winner produced by any of the first three dams. However, the further reaches of this female line provided Marcel Boussac with some of his finest winners, including Ervdya’s eighth dam Esmeralda, winner of the Pouliches in 1942 and dam of the 1949 dead-heater Coronation, who went on to win the Arc. The family also did well for the Aga in the years following the purchase of the Boussac broodmares in 1978.

Ervedya’s fourth dam, the Top Ville mare Euliya, won the Gr3 Prix de Royallieu over 12.5 furlongs and was a half-sister to Erdelistan, a Gr1 winner in Italy and third in the Prix du Jockey-Club.

49 PREMIO PRESIDENTE DELLA REPUBBLICA G1 ROME. May 10. 4yo+. 2000m.

1. CLEO FAN (ITY) 4 9-2 b c by Mujahid - Cuprea (Best of The Bests) O-Dioscuri Srl B-Fanti Giuliano TR-Stefano Botti 2. Magic Artist (IRE) 4 9-2 £37,519 b/br c by Iffraaj - Artisti (Cape Cross) O-Stall Salzburg B-Darley TR-W Figge 3. Wake Forest (GER) 5 9-2 b h by Sir Percy - Wurfspiel (Lomitas) O- Klaus Allofs & Stiftung Gestut Fahrhof B-Stiftung Gestut Fahrhof TR-A Wohler Margins Neck, 2. Going Good.

Age 2-4

Starts 11

Wins 4

Places 6

Earned £178,048

Sire: MUJAHID. Sire of 27 Stakes winners. In 2015 CLEO FAN Best of The Bests G1, BREX DRAGO Barathea LR. 1st Dam: CUPREA by Best of The Bests. 7 wins at 2 to 4 in Italy. Dam of 3 winners: 2010: CATNIP FAN (f Johnny Red Kerr) 2 wins at 2 and 3 in Italy.

2011: CLEO FAN (c Mujahid) 4 wins at 2 to 4 in Italy, Premio Presidente della Repubblica G1, Premio Villa Borghese Memorial Cadoni LR, 2nd Premio Roma GBI Racing G1, Premio Ambrosiano G3, Premio Campobello LR. 2012: Cassiano Fan (c Until Sundown) 3 wins at 2 and 3 in Italy, 3rd Criterium Partenopeo LR. Broodmare Sire: BEST OF THE BESTS. Sire of the dams of 1 Stakes winner.

CLEO FAN b c 2011 Northern Dancer Danzig Pas de Nom MUJAHID b 96 Storm Cat Elrafa Ah Bubbles Darlene Machiavellian Best of The Bests Sueboog CUPREA ch 04 Don’t Forget Me Verbena Isabena

Nearctic Natalma Admiral’s Voyage Petitioner Storm Bird Terlingua Fappiano Moment’s Prayer Mr Prospector Coup de Folie Darshaan Nordica Ahonoora African Doll Star Appeal Irish Isle

Stefano Botti saddled the hot favourite Priore Philip for the Premio Presidente della Repubblica, but, with the odds-on shot failing to settle, victory went instead to Botti’s second string, Cleo Fan. This son of Mujahid

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DATA BOOK STAKES RESULTS

European Group 1s made much of the running and this time just held off the German colt Magic Artist, who had previously caught Cleo Fan close home in the Gr3 Premio Ambrosiano.

Cleo Fan’s sire Mujahid has stood at Allevamento di Besnate since 2008, having started at Beech House Stud.

A brighter future had appeared in store for Mujahid at the end of a twoyear-old career that yielded three wins from four starts, including a 25-1 victory in the Dewhurst Stakes. With Danzig as his sire and a good daughter of Storm Cat as his dam, Mujahid was also very well bred.

Unfortunately, the Dewhurst proved to be his last win, though he finished third in a moderate edition of the 2,000 Guineas. Mujahid’s variety of talented winners is headed by the Australian sprinter-miler Danleigh and the smart international ten-furlong performer Balius.

Cleo Fan’s dam, the seven-time Italian winner Cuprea, is a daughter of the Prix d’Ispahan winner Best Of The Bests. The colt’s third dam Isabena, a successful performer in Spain, is also the second dam of Vagabond Shoes, who graduated from racing in Spain to win big races in France and the United States.

50 AL SHAQAB LOCKINGE STAKES G1 NEWBURY. May 16. 4yo+. 8f.

1. NIGHT OF THUNDER (IRE) 4 9-0 £198,485 ch c by Dubawi - Forest Storm (Galileo) O-Godolphin B-F. Dunne TR-Richard Hannon 2. Toormore (IRE) 4 9-0 £75,250 b c by Arakan - Danetime Out (Danetime) O-Middleham Park Racing IX & James Pak B-Bec Bloodstock TR-Richard Hannon 3. Arod (IRE) 4 9-0 £37,660 b c by Teofilo - My Personal Space (Rahy) O-Qatar Racing Limited B-Kabansk Ltd & Rathbarry Stud TR-Peter Chapple-Hyam Margins Neck, 0.75. Time 1:38.00. Going Good.

Age 2-4

Starts 9

Wins 4

Places 4

Earned £848,875

Sire: DUBAWI. Sire of 99 Stakes winners. In 2015 - AL KAZEEM Darshaan G1, HUNTER’S LIGHT Barathea G1, NEW BAY Zamindar G1, NIGHT OF THUNDER Galileo G1, PRINCE BISHOP Prospect Bay G1, SHAMAL WIND Machiavellian G1, SRIKANDI Hurricane Sky G1, BALL OF MUSCLE Gold Brose G2, BAWINA Sadler’s Wells G2, CATKINS Catbird G2, MUBTAAHIJ Pennekamp G2, SAFETY CHECK Royal Academy G2.

1st Dam: Forest Storm by Galileo. Winner at 2, 2nd Flame of Tara EBF S LR. Dam of 1 winner: 2011: NIGHT OF THUNDER (c Dubawi) Sold 32,000gns yearling at TAOC1. 4 wins at 2 to 4, Al Shaqab Lockinge S G1, Qipco 2000 Guineas G1, Scott Dobson Memorial Doncaster S LR, 2nd Qipco Queen Elizabeth II S G1, St James’s Palace S G1, AON Greenham S G3, 3rd Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp G1.

2nd Dam: Quiet Storm by Desert Prince. 2 wins at 3, 2nd EBF Upavon S LR. Dam of Forest Storm (f Galileo, see above) Broodmare Sire: GALILEO. Sire of the dams of 34 Stakes winners. In 2015 - MAGICOOL Fastnet Rock G1, NIGHT OF THUNDER Dubawi G1, QUALIFY Fastnet Rock G1, MANATEE Monsun G2, LEA First Samurai G3.

The Dubawi/Galileo cross has produced: NIGHT OF THUNDER G1, Red Galileo LR, Seema LR.

90

NIGHT OF THUNDER ch c 2011 Dubai Millennium DUBAWI b 02 Zomaradah

Galileo FOREST STORM ch 06 Quiet Storm

Seeking The Gold Mr Prospector Con Game Colorado Dancer Shareef Dancer Fall Aspen Shirley Heights Deploy Slightly Dangerous Dancing Brave Jawaher High Tern Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge Miswaki Urban Sea Allegretta Green Desert Desert Prince Flying Fairy Reference Point Hertford Castle Forest Flower

Bearing in mind that Night Of Thunder’s victory in an oddly-run 2,000 Guineas had been gained at the expense of such luminaries as Kingman and Australia, it was surprising that the son of Dubawi failed to win any of his four subsequent races in 2014 (even allowing for the fact that he was twice beaten only half a length). Perhaps he is going to be harder to beat during his 2015 campaign, which began with a neck victory over stablemate Toormore in the Lockinge Stakes.

Night Of Thunder cost as little as 32,000gns at Tattersalls as a yearling in 2012, even though Dubawi’s fee earlier that year had stood at £75,000. However Dubawi’s fee at the time of Night Of Thunder’s conception had been no higher than £20,000 – less than a sixth of this brilliant stallion’s current fee of £125,000. The average price for a Dubawi yearling colt in 2012 was 114,364gns, so Night Of Thunder sold disappointingly.

A first foal, he comes from an unexceptional female line in that none of his first three dams had won at stakes level and neither his second or third dams had produced a stakes winner. However, his dam Forest Storm was useful at two in Ireland and his second dam, Quiet Storm, went within half a length of winning a Listed race over a mile and a quarter, her optimum distance.

Night Of Thunder’s fourth dam Forest Flower had a much more illustrious record. Although very small, this courageous daughter of Green Forest became England’s champion juvenile filly of 1986, before going on to take the Irish 1,000 Guineas. The next dam, Leap Lively, won the Fillies’ Mile at two and the Johnnie Walker Oaks Trial, as well as finishing a remote third in the Oaks and a creditable second in the Yorkshire Oaks.

51 TATTERSALLS IRISH 2,000 GUINEAS G1 CURRAGH. May 23. 3yoc&f. 8f.

1. GLENEAGLES (IRE) 9-0 £134,884 b c by Galileo - You’resothrilling (Storm Cat) O-Mr M. Tabor, D. Smith & Mrs John Magnier B-You’resothrilling Syndicate TR-Aidan O’Brien 2. Endless Drama (IRE) 9-0 £44,186 b c by Lope de Vega - Desert Drama (Green Desert) O-Sheikh Khalifa,Sheikh Suhaim/QRL B-Knocktoran Stud & Bluehorse Breeding Ltd TR-G. M. Lyons 3. Ivawood (IRE) 9-0 £20,930 b c by Zebedee - Keenes Royale (Red Ransom) O-Carmichael Jennings B-Miss M. Davison & Miss D. Kitchin

TR-Richard Hannon Margins 0.75, 0.5. Time 1:39.30.

Going Good to Yielding.

Age 2-3

Starts 8

Wins 6

Places 2

Earned £689,496

Sire: GALILEO. Sire of 196 Stakes winners. In 2015 GLENEAGLES Storm Cat G1, AMPERE Sri Pekan G2, SECRET GESTURE Danehill G2, TANBY Danewin G2, CURVY Inchinor G3, KISSED BY ANGELS Danehill Dancer G3, MIZZOU Darshaan G3, SERTORIUS Encosta de Lago G3, SILVER GALAXY Pivotal G3, FAUFILER Celtic Swing LR, KINGFISHER Halling LR, OBSERVATIONAL Cadeaux Genereux LR, TELESCOPE Darshaan LR, THE CORSICAN Danehill LR. 1st Dam: YOU’RESOTHRILLING by Storm Cat. 2 wins at 2, Irish Thoroughbred Cherry Hinton S G2. Own sister to GIANT’S CAUSEWAY, Tumblebrutus, Tiger Dance and Freud. Dam of 2 winners: 2011: MARVELLOUS (f Galileo). 2 wins at 2 and 3, Etihad Airways Irish 1000 Guineas G1.

2012: GLENEAGLES (c Galileo) Champion 2yr old colt in Ireland in 2014. 5 wins at 2 and 3, Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas G1, Goffs Vincent O’Brien National S G1, Qipco 2000 Guineas G1, Galileo EBF Futurity S G2, Japanese Racing Authority Tyros S G3, 3rd Qatar PX Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere Gd.Crit G1.

2013: Coolmore (f Galileo) unraced to date.

2014: (c Galileo) 2nd Dam: MARIAH’S STORM by Rahy. 10 wins at 2 to 4 in USA Arlington Washington Lassie S G2, Budweiser Turfway Park Breeders’ Cup H G2, 3rd Spinster S G1. Dam of GIANT’S CAUSEWAY (c Storm Cat: Juddmonte International S G1, Coral Eclipse S G1, Esat Digifone Champion S G1, St James’s Palace S G1, Champagne Lanson Sussex S G1, Prix de la Salamandre G1, 2nd Entenmann’s Irish 2000 Guineas G1, Queen Elizabeth II S G1, Sagitta 2000 Guineas G1, Breeders’ Cup Classic G1), YOU’RESOTHRILLING (f Storm Cat, see above), Hanky Panky (f Galileo: 3rd Ballyogan S G3), Freud (c Storm Cat: 3rd Cork and Orrery S G2), Tumblebrutus (c Storm Cat: 2nd Galileo EBF Futurity G2), Tiger Dance (c Storm Cat: 3rd Emirates Airline Minstrel S G3), Roar of The Tiger (c Storm Cat: 3rd Governor’s H LR). Grandam of STORM THE STARS. Broodmare Sire: STORM CAT. Sire of the dams of 175 Stakes winners. In 2015 - GLENEAGLES Galileo G1, HONOR CODE A P Indy G1, SHARED BELIEF Candy Ride G1, DIVERSY HARBOR Curlin G2, LACHESIS Deep Impact G2.

The Galileo/Storm Cat cross has produced: GLENEAGLES G1, MARVELLOUS G1, MISTY FOR ME G1, Aloft G1, GLOBAL VIEW G2, TWIRL G3.

3. Postponed (IRE) 4 9-3 £17,442 b c by Dubawi - Ever Rigg (Dubai Destination) O-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum B-St Albans Bloodstock LLP TR-Luca Cumani Margins Neck, Short Head. Time 2:13.37.

Going Good.

Age 2-7

Starts 23

1st Dam: Kazeem by Darshaan. ran 3 times at 2 and 3.

Own sister to Treasurer. Dam of 3 winners: 2003: (f Medicean) 2004: AZEEMA (f Averti) Winner at 3. Broodmare.

2005: King’s Kazeem (f King’s Best) 2006: PARK LANE (g Royal Applause) 4 wins.

2007: Fire Up (f Motivator). Broodmare.

2008: AL KAZEEM (c Dubawi) Jt Champion older horse in Europe in 2013 (9.5-10.5f.). 9 wins at 2 to 7, 2015 at home, France, Tattersalls Gold Cup G1 (twice), Coral Eclipse S G1, Prince of Wales’s S G1, Qatar Bloodstock Jockey Club S G2, Prix d’Harcourt G2, bet365 Gordon Richards S G3, 188Bet Winter Hill S G3, 2nd Qipco Champion S G1, Red Mills Irish Champion S G1, Prix Ganay G1, Sportingbet.com Great Voltigeur S G2, Worthington’s St Simon S G3, Dubai Duty Free Arc Trial G3, 3rd Juddmonte International S G1. Sire.

2009: Sanctioned (g Authorized) ran a few times and ran once over hurdles.

2010: Kazak (g Royal Applause) ran.

2013: (c Makfi) 2014: (c Dubawi) 2nd Dam: KANZ by The Minstrel. 2 wins at 2 and 3 Princess Elizabeth S G3, 2nd Yorkshire Oaks G1. Dam of Treasurer (c Darshaan: 3rd Peter Pan S G2) Broodmare Sire: DARSHAAN. Sire of the dams of 225 Stakes winners. In 2015 - AL KAZEEM Dubawi G1, GOLDSTREAM Martino Alonso G2, AINIPPE Captain Rio G3, ARAB SPRING Monsun G3, KATANIYA Raven’s Pass G3, MIZZOU Galileo G3.

AL KAZEEM b h 2008 Dubai Millennium DUBAWI b 02 Zomaradah

Northern Dancer Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special GALILEO b 98 Mr Prospector Miswaki Hopespringseternal Urban Sea Lombard Allegretta Anatevka Northern Dancer Storm Bird South Ocean Storm Cat Secretariat Terlingua Crimson Saint YOU’RESOTHRILLING br 05 Blushing Groom Rahy Glorious Song Mariah’s Storm Roberto Immense Imsodear

Darshaan

Sadler’s Wells

See race 7 in the June issue 52 TATTERSALLS GOLD CUP G1 CURRAGH. May 24. 4yo+. 10f 110yds.

1. AL KAZEEM (GB) 7 9-3 £120,155 b h by Dubawi - Kazeem (Darshaan) O-Mr D. J. Deer B-Mr & Mrs D. J. Deer TR-Roger Charlton 2. Fascinating Rock (IRE) 4 9-3 £36,822 b c by Fastnet Rock - Miss Polaris (Polar Falcon) O-Newtown Anner Stud Farm B-Newtown Anner Stud TR-D. K. Weld

Places Earned 9 £1,573,597

Sire: DUBAWI. Sire of 99 Stakes winners. In 2015 - AL KAZEEM Darshaan G1, HUNTER’S LIGHT Barathea G1, NEW BAY Zamindar G1, NIGHT OF THUNDER Galileo G1, PRINCE BISHOP Prospect Bay G1, SHAMAL WIND Machiavellian G1, SRIKANDI Hurricane Sky G1, BALL OF MUSCLE Gold Brose G2, BAWINA Sadler’s Wells G2, CATKINS Catbird G2, MUBTAAHIJ Pennekamp G2, SAFETY CHECK Royal Academy G2.

GLENEAGLES b c 2012

Fairy Bridge

Wins 10

KAZEEM b 98 Kanz

Seeking The Gold Mr Prospector Con Game Colorado Dancer Shareef Dancer Fall Aspen Shirley Heights Deploy Slightly Dangerous Dancing Brave Jawaher High Tern Shirley Heights Mill Reef Hardiemma Abdos Delsy Kelty Northern Dancer The Minstrel Fleur Rough’n Tumble Treasure Chest Iltis

There was a sting in the tail for Al Kazeem after he had notched his fourth Gr1 success in winning the Tattersalls Gold Cup for the second time in three years. The seven-yearold suffered a foreleg injury which denied him his chance of repeating his 2013 victories in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and the Coral-Eclipse.

He had also missed the chance of doing so in 2014, but this time his absence was because he was still being brought back to race fitness after a short-lived spell as a stallion at the Royal Studs. It reflects great credit on Al Kazeem that he has returned to his best form, adding more than £500,000 to his considerable earnings.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Jul_131_DrStatz-DataBook-Stallion Stats_Layout 1 24/06/2015 09:35 Page 91

Caulfield on Make Believe: “There are some Classic connections further back in the French 2,000 Guineas winner’s female line, which once did sterling work for the late Jim Joel”

Plenty of Dubawi’s best winners have pedigrees featuring two lines to the brilliant Mill Reef, good examples being two of his other 2015 Gr1 winners, New Bay and Night Of Thunder. With Al Kazeem, though, the inbreeding is via Mill Reef’s most successful stallion son, Shirley Heights. Al Kazeem is inbred 4 x 3 to this dual Derby winner and so is Hunter’s Light, who recorded his third Gr1 success in the 2015 Jebel Hatta.

Arabian Queen, Dubawi Gold, Astrophysical Jet, Majestic Dubawi, Wannabe Yours and Kapitale are other Dubawi Group winners with two lines of Shirley Heights.

Al Kazeem’s second dam, the Gr3 winner Kanz, had been the top-priced yearling filly of 1982, with her price reflecting the fact that she is out of the celebrated broodmare Treasure Chest. Treasure Chest’s broodmare daughters Diomedia, Crown Treasure, Frontonian and Carefully Hidden all produced at least one European Group winner.

Leading the way were Crown Treasure, dam of the Gr1-winning Mill Reef colts Glint Of Gold and Diamond Shoal, and Carefully Hidden, dam of the Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Ensconse. Treasure Chest’s granddaughters have five Gr1 winners to their credit, including Al Kazeem and the Racing Post Trophy winner Armiger.

No doubt thanks to Crown Treasure’s considerable success with Mill Reef, Kanz visited Mill Reef, his sons Shirley Heights and Reference Point and Shirley Heights’ son Darshaan. Kanz’s Darshaan colt Treasurer showed very useful form in the US but Kanz had been sold by then, for only $80,000, and she was eventually returned to Europe for a repeat visit to Treasurer’s sire Darshaan, the result being Al Kazeem’s lightly-raced dam Kazeem.

53 TATTERSALLS IRISH 1,000 GUINEAS G1 CURRAGH. May 24. 3yof. 8f.

1. PLEASCACH (IRE) 9-0 £134,884 b f by Teofilo - Toirneach (Thunder Gulch) O-Mrs J. S. Bolger B-J. S. Bolger TR-J. S. Bolger 2. Found (IRE) 9-0 £44,186 b f by Galileo - Red Evie (Intikhab) O-Mr M. Tabor, D. Smith & Mrs John Magnier B-Roncon, Wynatt & Chelston TR-Aidan O’Brien 3. Devonshire (IRE) 9-0 £20,930 b f by Fast Company - Nova Tor (Trans Island) O- Godolphin B-P. Burns TR-W McCreery Margins 0.5, 1.5. Time 1:39.17. Going Good.

Age 2-3

Starts 5

Wins 3

Places 2

Earned £194,408

Sire: TEOFILO. Sire of 42 Stakes winners. In 2015 KERMADEC Fuji Kiseki G1, PLEASCACH Thunder Gulch G1, TAMAANEE Perugino G2, AROD Rahy G3, FLIGHT RISK Nordico G3, GENERAL SHERMAN Machiavellian LR, PARISH HALL Montjeu LR, RESONATES Warning LR, ROUND TWO Kingmambo LR. 1st Dam: TOIRNEACH by Thunder Gulch. 2 wins at 2 and 3. Dam of 1 winner: 2011: Ionsai Nua (f New Approach) unraced.

2012: PLEASCACH (f Teofilo) 2 wins at 2 and 3, Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas G1, Irish National Stud EBF Blue Wind S G3, 2nd Irish

Stallion Farms EBF Salsabil S LR. 2013: Brontide (c Vocalised) unraced to date.

2nd Dam: WANDERING PINE by Country Pine. 1 win at 3 in USA. Dam of CAPOMORANO (c Bluegrass Cat: Clasico Laffit Pincay Jr LR) Broodmare Sire: THUNDER GULCH. Sire of the dams of 60 Stakes winners. In 2015 - LOVELY MARIA Majesticperfection G1, MSHAWISH Medaglia d’Oro G1, PLEASCACH Teofilo G1, DELAGO’S SECRET Encosta de Lago G3, EL BILLARISTA El Corredor G3.

PLEASCACH b f 2012 Sadler’s Wells Galileo Urban Sea TEOFILO b 04 Danehill Speirbhean Saviour Gulch Thunder Gulch Line of Thunder TOIRNEACH b 05 Country Pine Wandering Pine Wandering Lace

Northern Dancer Fairy Bridge Miswaki Allegretta Danzig Razyana Majestic Light Victorian Queen Mr Prospector Jameela Storm Bird Shoot A Line His Majesty Mountain Sunshine Private Account Shujinsky

Thundercup, a daughter of Thunder Gulch, is responsible for one of this year’s best American three-year-old fillies in Lovely Maria, winner of the Gr1 Ashland Stakes and Gr1 Kentucky Oaks. Now Toirneach, another daughter of the 1995 American Horse of the Year, has come up with one of the best three-year-old fillies in Europe, in the shape of Pleascach.

This progressive daughter of Teofilo had started her second season over a mile and a quarter, notably winning the Gr3 Blue Wind Stakes by a wide margin, but her breeder Jim Bolger took a typically bold decision to drop her back to a mile in the Irish 1,000 Guineas and she justified the move by holding off the hot favourite Found.

Toirneach, a winner at up to a mile and a quarter for Bolger, was bought for $110,000 as a yearling in 2006.

This wasn’t a lot to pay for a filly bred along similar lines to Thunder Gulch’s huge earner Spain, whose finest win came in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff of 2000. Spain was out of Drina, whereas Toirneach’s dam Wandering Pine was a winning half-sister to Drina. Drina had a proud record as a broodmare, producing three Graded stakes winners, plus Spain’s stakes-winning sister Path Of Thunder, who became the dam of Excited (Gr3 Virginia Oaks).

While Spain has not proved as outstanding as a broodmare as her dam, she is still responsible for the very useful Irish performers Plan and Dreamtheimpossible.

Pleascach’s victory means that Teofilo, from his first four crops, has sired winners of the Irish 1,000 Guineas, Irish Derby (Trading Leather) and Irish St Leger (Voleuse de Coeurs).

He has also had an Epsom Oaks runner-up in Tarfasha. This acts as a reminder of how unfortunate it was that Teofilo was unable to race at three, having proved himself Europe’s champion two-year-old of 2006.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

54 POUR MOI COOLMORE PRIX SAINT-ALARY G1 LONGCHAMP. May 24. 3yof. 2000m.

1. QUEEN’S JEWEL (GB) 9-0 £110,736 ch f by Pivotal - Safari Queen (Lode) O-Wertheimer & Frere B-Wertheimer et Frere TR-F Head 2. Wekeela (FR) 9-0 £44,302 b f by Hurricane Run - Moonrise (Grand Lodge) O-Daniel-Yves Treves B-D Burkle TR-J-C Rouget 3. Olorda (GER) 9-0 £22,151 b f by Lord of England - Oligarchica (Desert King) O-Mr Peter Harald Sander B-Gestut Berwangerhof TR-Michael Figge Margins 3, 6. Time 2:00.87. Going Good.

Age 3

Starts 3

Wins 3

Places 0

Earned £151,434

Sire: PIVOTAL. Sire of 115 Stakes winners. In 2015 AFRICAN STORY Gone West G1, QUEEN’S JEWEL Lode G1, PECK Sadler’s Wells LR, TALCO Diesis LR. 1st Dam: SAFARI QUEEN by Lode. Gran Premio Jorge de Atucha G1, G.P. Estrellas Juv. Copa Dr. C. Blaquier G1, 2nd Gran Premio Eliseo Ramirez G1. Own sister to Safari River and Safari Lady. Dam of 3 winners: 2009: Transatlantic (c A P Indy) unraced.

2010: GALLICO (c Mr Greeley) Winner at 3 in USA. 2011: ROYALMANIA (f Elusive Quality) 3 wins at 2 and 3 in France, Prix Finlande LR, 3rd Prix de Psyche G3.

2012: QUEEN’S JEWEL (f Pivotal) 3 wins at 3 in France, Pour Moi Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary G1, Prix Penelope G3.

2014: Frame of Mind (f Invincible Spirit) 2nd Dam: SAFARI GIRL by Sonus. 2 wins at 2 and 3 in Argentina G.P. 1000 Guineas-Consagracion Potrancas G1. Dam of SAFARI QUEEN (f Lode, see above), SAFARI MISS (f Not For Sale: Gran Premio de Potrancas G1, Gran Premio Mil Guineas G1), Safari Lady (f Lode: 3rd Clasico Apertura-Copa Diario La Nacion G3), Safari River (c Lode: 3rd Clasico Provincia de Buenos Aires G2). Grandam of CAMBIODESLIGO. Broodmare Sire: LODE. Sire of the dams of 56 Stakes winners. In 2015 - QUEEN’S JEWEL Pivotal G1, CATCH A FLIGHT Giant’s Causeway G2, CITY GLAM Grand Reward G3, FEEL THE RACE Orpen G3, HIJA RUBIA Pure Prize LR, MI MORENA Artax LR.

QUEEN’S JEWEL ch f 2012 Nureyev Polar Falcon Marie d’Argonne PIVOTAL ch 93 Cozzene Fearless Revival Stufida Mr Prospector Lode Grand Luxe SAFARI QUEEN ch 02 Sonus Safari Girl Sally Girl

Northern Dancer Special Jefferson Mohair Caro Ride The Trails Bustino Zerbinetta Raise A Native Gold Digger Sir Ivor Fanfreluche Sadler’s Wells Sound of Success Fain Sly Sarah

The Wertheimer brothers made a shrewd move back in 2010 when they paid $425,000 for the Argentine champion Safari Queen, in foal to Elusive Quality. That Elusive Quality foal, the filly Royalmania, became a Group-placed Listed winner in France, good enough to just miss third place in the Gr1 Prix Marcel Boussac. Now Safari Queen has supplied the brothers with Queen’s Jewel, the unbeaten Pivotal filly who had plenty to spare at the finish of the Gr1 Prix Saint-Alary. Next in line is a 2014 filly

by Invincible Spirit.

We already know that the King’s Stand Stakes and Nunthorpe winner Pivotal is capable of regularly siring high-class performers who stay a

great deal better than he did. His list of top winners features such as Sariska (Oaks and Irish Oaks), Farhh (Champion Stakes), African Story (Dubai World Cup), Izzi Top and Chorist (both successful in the Pretty Polly Stakes), Buzzword (Deutsches Derby), Halfway To Heaven (Nassau Stakes) and the top American fillies Golden Apple and Megahertz.

Needless to say, Pivotal normally needs some help from his mares to produce a middle-distance winner and this is true with Queen’s Jewel.

Although Safari Queen was Argentina’s champion juvenile filly of 2004-5, when she gained Gr1 wins over 7.5 furlongs on dirt and a mile on turf, a mile and a half proved to be her optimum distance after her move to the US, where she raced mainly on turf.

All four of her American Graded victories came over that distance. This suggests that she didn’t take after her sire Lode, a speedy son of Mr Prospector, her career being influenced much more by her broodmare sire Sonus, who won the Goodwood Cup over two miles and was placed in the Gold Cup and Prix du Cadran. Sonus’s brother Accordion was a top sire of jumpers.

Safari Queen’s half-sister Safari Miss won the Gran Premio de Potrancas and the Mil Guineas in Argentina. Their dam Sally Girl had also been a top winner in Argentina, at around a mile and a quarter.

However, her fourth dam, Sly Sarah, was an American import – a granddaughter of the influential mare Society Column, who produced the Irish St Leger winner Leading Counsel.

Other descendants of Society Column include the very smart European performers Charmer, Privity, Main Aim, Weightless, Maria Royal and Price Tag. 55 PRIX D’ISPAHAN G1 LONGCHAMP. May 24. 4yo+. 1800m.

1. SOLOW (GB) 5 9-2 £110,736 gr g by Singspiel - High Maintenance (Highest Honor) O-Wertheimer et Frere B-Wertheimer et Frere TR-F. Head 2. Gailo Chop (FR) 4 9-2 £44,302 ch g by Deportivo - Grenoble (Marignan) O-Oti Management Pty Ltd & A. Chopard B-Alain Chopard TR-S. Watrigant 3. Sparkling Beam (IRE) 5 8-13 £22,151 b m by Nayef - Pearl Dance (Nureyev) O-Mr George Strawbridge B-G. Strawbridge TR-J. E. Pease Margins 1.5, 2. Time 1:57.30. Going Good.

Age 2-5

Starts 14

Wins 9

Places Earned 4 £2,643,056

Sire: SINGSPIEL. Sire of 101 Stakes winners.

1st Dam: High Maintenance by Highest Honor. 3 wins at 2 to 4 in France, 2nd G. P. de Lyon Etape du Defi du Galop LR, Prix La Moskowa LR, 3rd Qatar Prix Gladiateur G3. Dam of 1 winner: 2010: SOLOW (g Singspiel) 9 wins at 3 to 5 in France, UAE, Prix d’Ispahan G1, DP World Dubai Turf G1, Qatar Prix Daniel Wildenstein G2, Prix Quincey - Lucien Barriere G3.

2011: Too High (c High Chaparral) 2012: Prime Spot (c High Chaparral) unraced to date.

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DATA BOOK STAKES RESULTS

European Group 1s 2013: High Quality (f Invincible Spirit) unraced to date.

2015: (f Shamardal) 2nd Dam: FABULOUS HOSTESS by Fabulous Dancer. 7 wins at 2 to 4 in France CIGA Prix de Royallieu G2. Dam of HOSTESSANTE (f Pleasant Colony: Prix de la Seine LR), High Maintenance (f Highest Honor, see above). Grandam of FACOLTOSO, COLONY BAND, Aspasia de Mileto. Third dam of COLIZEO.

56 PRIX DU JOCKEY CLUB G1 CHANTILLY. May 31. 3yoc&f. 2100m.

The Singspiel/Highest Honor cross has produced: SOLOW G1, AU REVOIR G2.

1. NEW BAY (GB) 9-2 £664,419 ch c by Dubawi - Cinnamon Bay (Zamindar) O-Mr K. Abdullah B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd TR-A. Fabre 2. Highland Reel (IRE) 9-2 £265,814 b c by Galileo - Hveger (Danehill) O-Mr D. Smith, Mrs J. Magnier, Mr M. Tabor B-Hveger Syndicate TR-Aidan O’Brien 3. War Dispatch (USA) 9-2 £132,907 b c by War Front - Photograph (Unbridled’s Song) O-Joseph Allen LLC B-Joseph Allen TR-J-C Rouget Margins 1.5, 1.75. Time 2:05.69. Going Good.

SOLOW gr g 2010

Age 2-3

Broodmare Sire: HIGHEST HONOR. Sire of the dams of 62 Stakes winners. In 2015 - SOLOW Singspiel G1, REVE MISTRAL King Kamehameha G2, FLY WITH ME Beat Hollow LR.

Sadler’s Wells In The Wings High Hawk SINGSPIEL b 92 Halo Glorious Song Ballade Kenmare Highest Honor High River HIGH MAINTENANCE gr 04 Fabulous Dancer Fabulous Hostess Young Hostess

Northern Dancer Fairy Bridge Shirley Heights Sunbittern Hail To Reason Cosmah Herbager Miss Swapsco Kalamoun Belle of Ireland Riverman Hairbrush Northern Dancer Last of The Line Arctic Tern Yeovil

It was largely a battle of the geldings in the latest edition of the Prix d’Ispahan, with Cirrus des Aigles, Solow and Gallo Chop being opposed only by the mare Sparkling Beam.

There were excuses for Cirrus des Aigles, who ended up last behind Solow after being eased, but it is a measure of the huge progress made

by Solow that he was sent off favourite at 4-9. Those very short odds reflected Solow’s lengthy winning sequence, which now stands at six. He had previously won the Gr1 Dubai Turf by more than four lengths from The Grey Gatsby, and his record since June 2013 now stands at nine wins from ten starts.

Solow’s transformation from talented winner of conditions events to Gr1 winner dates back to the summer of 2014. His record of three wins at up to a mile and a half encouraged his connections to step him up to nearly two miles in the Gr2 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier.

This move was no doubt encouraged by his pedigree. His sire Singspiel had gained three of his Gr1 successes over a mile and a half, as had his sire In The Wings, and Singspiel’s long list of good winners included the Gold Cup hero Papineau.

Also, Solow’s dam High Maintenance had put up several of her best efforts at around 15 furlongs and she is a daughter of Fabulous Hostess, winner of the Gr2 Prix de Royallieu over an extended mile and a half.

Although beaten only about four lengths in the Vigier, someone decided that Solow was worth trying over much shorter distances. Three months later Solow won the Gr3 Prix Quincey over a mile and he followed up with a Gr2 win in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein. It will be interesting to see whether he is kept to less than a mile and a quarter.

92

Starts 4

Wins 2

Places 2

Earned £779,895

Sire: DUBAWI. Sire of 99 Stakes winners. In 2015 - AL KAZEEM Darshaan G1, HUNTER’S LIGHT Barathea G1, NEW BAY Zamindar G1, NIGHT OF THUNDER Galileo G1, PRINCE BISHOP Prospect Bay G1, SHAMAL WIND Machiavellian G1, SRIKANDI Hurricane Sky G1, BALL OF MUSCLE Gold Brose G2, BAWINA Sadler’s Wells G2, CATKINS Catbird G2, MUBTAAHIJ Pennekamp G2, SAFETY CHECK Royal Academy G2.

1st Dam: CINNAMON BAY by Zamindar. 3 wins at 2 and 3 in France, Prix d’Angerville LR. Dam of 2 winners: 2009: MARGATE (f Mizzen Mast) Winner at 3.

Broodmare.

2010: Iowa Falls (f Dansili) 2012: NEW BAY (c Dubawi) 2 wins at 3 in France, Prix du Jockey Club G1, 2nd Poule d’Essai des Poulains P.le Parisien G1.

2013: Spice Trail (f Champs Elysees) unraced to date.

2014: (c Dansili) 2nd Dam: Trellis Bay by Sadler’s Wells. 1 win at 3, 2nd NGK Spark Plugs Stubbs Rated S LR. Own sister to New Abbey. Dam of BELLAMY CAY (g Kris: Prix Maurice de Nieuil G2, 2nd Prix Royal-Oak G1), CINNAMON BAY (f Zamindar, see above). Grandam of San Miguel.

Broodmare Sire: ZAMINDAR. Sire of the dams of 7 Stakes winners.

NEW BAY ch c 2012 Dubai Millennium DUBAWI b 02 Zomaradah

Zamindar CINNAMON BAY ch 04 Trellis Bay

Seeking The Gold Mr Prospector Con Game Colorado Dancer Shareef Dancer Fall Aspen Shirley Heights Deploy Slightly Dangerous Dancing Brave Jawaher High Tern Mr Prospector Gone West Secrettame The Minstrel Zaizafon Mofida Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge Mill Reef Bahamian Sorbus

For the third time in little more than a fortnight, a son of Dubawi enjoyed Gr1 success in Europe. The sequence was started by Night Of Thunder in the Lockinge, extended by Al Kazeem in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and completed by the exciting New Bay in the Prix du Jockey-Club.

This inexperienced colt had been badly drawn when a strong-finishing second to Dubawi’s grandson Make Believe in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and was again drawn high in the Jockey-Club, when his powers of acceleration were again very much in evidence.

New Bay is the latest reminder that Khalid Abdullah made an extremely good buy when acquiring the colt’s third dam, Bahamian, for 310,000gns as a yearling in 1986. This medium-

sized daughter of Mill Reef became the dam of a Classic winner when Wemyss Bight won the Irish Oaks.

Then Wemyss Bight’s unraced sister Hope took over the baton, producing the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches winner Zenda, who in turn became the dam of Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Kingman.

In other words, Bahamian has given the Prince four individual Classic winners, but that’s not all.

Wemyss Bight became the dam of Beat Hollow, winner of the Grand Prix de Paris over a mile and a quarter at the time when the Prix du JockeyClub’s distance was a mile and a half.

Wemyss Bight’s sister Hope did even better, as her next foal after Zenda was Oasis Dream, a champion twoyear-old and champion sprinter who ranks among Britain’s highest-priced stallions.

New Bay has already shown he stays quite well for a son of Dubawi, who never won beyond a mile. He can thank his female line for his stamina.

His second dam, the Sadler’s Wells mare Trellis Bay, was second in a Listed race over two miles and subsequently passed on plenty of stamina to Bellamy Cay, a Kris colt who finished a close second in the Gr1 Prix Royal-Oak over nearly two miles.

Trellis Bay’s sister Coraline was another reliable source of stamina, producing three Group-winning stayers in Reefscape (Gr1 Prix du Cadran), Martaline and Coastal Path (who, like Reefscape, was placed in the Gold Cup).

New Bay’s third and fourth dams, Bahamian and Sorbus, also stayed well. Bahamian once crossed the line first in a Gr2 over 15 furlongs, while Sorbus numbered a second in the Irish St Leger among her Classic achievements, which also included a second in the Irish 1,000 Guineas and victory – before being demoted – in the Irish Oaks.

New Bay’s dam, the Listed winner Cinnamon Bay, gained all of her wins over a mile and disappointed when tried over an extended mile and a quarter in the Gr1 Prix de Diane.

Cinnamon Bay is a three-parts-sister to Kingman’s dam Zenda, as both are

by Zamindar out of daughters of Bahamian.

57 INVESTEC OAKS STAKES G1 EPSOM DOWNS. Jun 5. 3yof. 12f.

1. QUALIFY (IRE) 9-0 £255,195 b f by Fastnet Rock - Perihelion (Galileo) O-Mrs C. C. Regalado-Gonzalez B-Whisperview Trading Ltd TR-Aidan O’Brien 2. Legatissimo (IRE) 9-0 £96,750 b f by Danehill Dancer - Yummy Mummy (Montjeu) O-Mr M. Tabor, D. Smith & Mrs John Magnier B-Newsells Park Stud Limited TR-David Wachman 3. Lady Of Dubai (GB) 9-0 £48,420 b f by Dubawi - Lady of Everest (Montjeu) O-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum B-Fittocks Stud TR-Luca Cumani Margins Short Head, 2.5. Time 2:37.40.

Going Good.

Age 2-3

Starts 9

Wins 3

Places 2

Earned £306,496

Sire: FASTNET ROCK. Sire of 77 Stakes winners. In 2015 - MAGICOOL Galileo G1, QUALIFY Galileo G1, FIRST SEAL Scenic G2, FASCINATING ROCK Polar Falcon G3, LA SALDANA Singspiel G3, BEWHATYOUWANNABE Beautiful Crown LR, DIAMONDSANDRUBIES Sadler’s Wells LR, LUMOSTY Bachelor Duke LR, NINTH LEGION Xaar LR, SATURN ROCK Ne Coupez Pas LR. 1st Dam: Perihelion by Galileo. Winner at 3, 2nd Goffs/Doncaster BS Park Hill S G2. Dam of 3 winners: 2010: SALTANAT (f Duke of Marmalade) 3 wins at 3 and 4 in Czech Republic, Slovakia.

2011: SATELLITE (g Danehill Dancer) Winner at 3.

2012: QUALIFY (f Fastnet Rock) 3 wins at 2 and 3, Investec Oaks S G1, C L & M F Weld Park S G3, 3rd Turkey Jockey Club Silver Flash S G3.

2013: Shogun (c Fastnet Rock) unraced to date.

2014: (f Henrythenavigator) 2nd Dam: MEDICOSMA by The Minstrel. 2 wins at 3.

Dam of Perihelion (f Galileo, see above). Grandam of CALLISTO MOON, Ballyadam Brook.

Broodmare Sire: GALILEO. Sire of the dams of 34 Stakes winners. In 2015 - MAGICOOL Fastnet Rock G1, NIGHT OF THUNDER Dubawi G1, QUALIFY Fastnet Rock G1, MANATEE Monsun G2, LEA First Samurai G3.

The Fastnet Rock/Galileo cross has produced: MAGICOOL G1, QUALIFY G1, ROCK HERO G2, Sailing By G3, EAGLE ISLAND LR.

QUALIFY b f 2012 Danzig Danehill Razyana FASTNET ROCK b 01 Royal Academy Piccadilly Circus Gatana Sadler’s Wells Galileo Urban Sea PERIHELION ch 05 The Minstrel Medicosma Media Luna

Northern Dancer Pas de Nom His Majesty Spring Adieu Nijinsky Crimson Saint Marauding Twigalae Northern Dancer Fairy Bridge Miswaki Allegretta Northern Dancer Fleur Star Appeal Sounion

Back in 1984 the 66-1 chance Media Luna came within inches of causing one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Oaks, so it was appropriate that her great-granddaughter Qualify should stun virtually everyone with her 50-1 victory in the Oaks 31 years later.

The links between Media Luna and Qualify are Medicosma, a daughter of The Minstrel, and Perihelion, a daughter of Galileo who is inbred 3 x 3 to Northern Dancer. The Minstrel and Galileo, of course, both triumphed in the Derby, so Qualify has a Classic background.

It is worth remembering, though, that Medicosma sold for only 16,000gns as part of the Juddmonte draft at the 1989 December Sales.

Medicosma had won handicaps at up to two miles so maybe it was her lack of size that went against her (she was a first foal, by a stallion who stood just over 15.2 hands).

Medicosma’s sale came before her stamina-packed family had enjoyed its finest successes. For example it was in 1996 that Media Luna’s daughter Eva Luna won the Gr3 Park Hill Stakes; and it was in 2001 that Flute, a filly out of Media Luna’s stakeswinning daughter Rougeur, won the Kentucky Oaks and Alabama Stakes.

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Caulfield on New Bay: “He is the latest reminder Khalid Abdullah made an extremely good buy when acquiring the colt’s third dam, Bahamian, for 310,000gns as a yearling in 1986”

Then, in 2003, Eva Luna’s first two foals, Moon Search and Brian Boru, both enjoyed Group success, with Brian Boru adding the St Leger to his 2002 success in the Racing Post Trophy.

Even better was to follow in 2010 when Brian Boru’s sister Soviet Moon was represented by Workforce, a record-breaking winner of the Derby before adding the Arc. The family also has several other Group winners, arguably the best being the Breeders’ Cup Turf runnerup Sea Moon.

Medicosma added a bit more black type to the family’s record when her Galileo filly Perihelion was runner-up in the Park Hill Stakes – a race previously contested by Media Luna and Eva Luna.

Qualify is Perihelion’s third foal and she is followed by her brother Shogun, who was knocked down for €400,000 as a yearling.

This is a true Classic family. Media Luna’s half-sister Suni was third in the Oaks and the next dam, Sounion, was a half-sister to Lucyrowe, winner of the Coronation, Nassau and Sun Chariot Stakes.

This female line traces to the legendary Pretty Polly, winner of the 1,000 Guineas, Oaks and St Leger in 1904.

58 INVESTEC CORONATION CUP G1 EPSOM DOWNS. Jun 6. 4yo+. 12f.

1. PETHER’S MOON (IRE) 5 9-0 £212,663 b h by Dylan Thomas - Softly Tread (Tirol) O-Mr John Manley B-M. Daly TR-Richard Hannon 2. Dolniya (FR) 4 8-11 £80,625 b f by Azamour - Daltama (Indian Ridge) O-H.H. Aga Khan B-H H The Aga Khan's Studs Sc TR-A. de Royer Dupre 3. Flintshire (GB) 5 9-0 £40,350 b/br h by Dansili - Dance Routine (Sadler’s Wells) O-Mr K. Abdullah B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd TR-A. Fabre Margins Neck, 1.5. Time 2:33.70.

Going Good to Firm.

Age 2-5

Starts 21

Wins 7

Places 10

Earned £576,324

Sire: DYLAN THOMAS. Sire of 21 Stakes winners. In 2015 - BLAZING SPEED Sadler’s Wells G1, DYLAN MOUTH Noverre G1, PETHER’S MOON Tirol G1, NIGHTFLOWER Peintre Celebre G2, DYLANSON Canny Lad LR, NOT LISTENIN’TOME Encosta de Lago LR, PORSENNA Hussonet LR, WILD ASH Giant’s Causeway LR. 1st Dam: SOFTLY TREAD by Tirol. 3 wins at 2 and 3, Castlemartin/La Louviere Gladness S G3. Dam of 2 winners: 2006: Terme Cay (f Langfuhr) unraced. Broodmare.

2009: MONA BROWN (f Dylan Thomas) 3 wins at 3 and 4.

2010: PETHER’S MOON (c Dylan Thomas) Sold 42,692gns yearling at TISEP. 7 wins at 3 to 5 at home, Turkey, Investec Coronation Cup G1, International Bosphorus Cup G2, BMW Cumberland Lodge S G3, Coutts Glorious S G3, Betdaq Floodlit S LR, 2nd Qatar Bloodstock Jockey Club S G2, Dubai Duty Free John Porter S G3, Carey Group Buckhounds S LR, 3rd Hardwicke S G2, Dunaden at Overbury Jockey Club S G2, Boylesports Princess of Wales’s S G2.

2nd Dam: Second Guess by Ela-Mana-Mou. 1 win at 3, 2nd Baileys Irish Cream EBF Trigo S LR. Dam of SOFTLY TREAD (f Tirol, see above) Broodmare Sire: TIROL. Sire of the dams of 26 Stakes winners.

PETHER’S MOON b h 2010 Danzig Danehill Razyana DYLAN THOMAS b 03 Diesis Lagrion Wrap It Up Thatching Tirol Alpine Niece SOFTLY TREAD b 98 Ela-Mana-Mou Second Guess Warning Sound

Northern Dancer Pas de Nom His Majesty Spring Adieu Sharpen Up Doubly Sure Mount Hagen Doc Nan Thatch Abella Great Nephew Fragrant Morn Pitcairn Rose Bertin Red Alert Shenachie

‘Progressive’ is perhaps the word which best describes Pether’s Moon.

As a three-year-old the son of Arc winner Dylan Thomas was transformed from all-weather maiden winner to smart handicapper/Listed winner. At four he raced exclusively at stakes level and did so well that he landed a pair of Gr3s in England, plus a Gr2 in Turkey. And now at five he has stunned the French raiders Dolniya and Flintshire with his late surge in the Gr1 Coronation Cup. Perhaps his improvement with age can be attributed to Dylan Thomas.

Although this son of Danehill won the Irish Derby at three, he was even more effective at four, when he won four Gr1s.

Dylan Thomas now commands a fee of €5,000 as part of Coolmore’s National Hunt team, but he began his career at much higher fees – €50,000 in 2008, €35,000 in 2009 and €25,000 in 2010 – and Pether’s Moon is a member of that €35,000 second crop. Dylan Thomas’s previous Gr1 winner of 2015 – the Hong Kong-based Blazing Speed – comes from the €50,000 first crop, as does the tough Captain Cat, a dual Gr3 winner in 2014.

Pether’s Moon’s dam Softly Tread was one of the best daughters of Tirol, winner of the 2,000 Guineas in England and Ireland. She started at 11-1 for the Irish 1,000 Guineas, having won all three of her previous races, including the Gr3 Gladness Stakes over seven furlongs. Tirol’s only previous Gr1 success as a broodmare sire came in 2014, when Miss France won the 1,000 Guineas.

Pether’s Moon’s second and third dams, Second Guess and Warning Sound, were fairly useful performers in Ireland, as was Second Guess’s half-sister Heed My Warning, runnerup in the Gr1 Moyglare Stud Stakes.

Second Guess, a daughter of ElaMana-Mou, stayed a mile and a half, a distance which brings out the best in Pether’s Moon.

59 INVESTEC DERBY STAKES G1 EPSOM DOWNS. Jun 6. 3yoc&f. 12f.

1. GOLDEN HORN (GB) 9-0 £813,221 b c by Cape Cross - Fleche d’Or (Dubai Destination) O-Mr A. E. Oppenheimer B-Hascombe & Valiant Studs TR-John Gosden 2. Jack Hobbs (GB) 9-0 £308,310 br c by Halling - Swain’s Gold (Swain) O-Godolphin & Partners B-Minster Stud TR-John Gosden 3. Storm The Stars (USA) 9-0 £154,298 b c by Sea The Stars - Love Me Only (Sadler’s Wells)

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O-Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum B-Summer Wind Farm TR-William Haggas Margins 3.5, 4.5. Time 2:32.30.

Going Good to Firm.

Age 2-3

Starts 4

Wins 4

Places 0

Earned £931,409

Sire: CAPE CROSS. Sire of 100 Stakes winners. In 2015 - GOLDEN HORN Dubai Destination G1, KARPINO Sadler’s Wells G2, AGENT MURPHY Dansili LR, CONVERGENCE Nayef LR, DON’T BE Fasliyev LR, PLEASURE GAINS Vettori LR. 1st Dam: Fleche d’Or by Dubai Destination. unraced.

Dam of 2 winners: 2011: EASTERN BELLE (f Champs Elysees) Winner at 3, Lord Weinstock Mem. Ballymacoll S LR, 2nd New York S G2.

2012: GOLDEN HORN (c Cape Cross) Sold 190,000gns yearling at TAOC1. 4 wins at 2 and 3, Investec Derby S G1, Betfred Dante S G2, Feilden S LR. 2013: Golden Reign (f Champs Elysees) unraced to date.

2014: (f Acclamation) 2nd Dam: NURYANA by Nureyev. 2 wins at 3 Grand Metropolitan S LR. Dam of REBECCA SHARP (f Machiavellian: Coronation S G1, 2nd Queen Elizabeth II S G1), MYSTIC KNIGHT (g Caerleon: Tripleprint Derby Trial S G3), HIDDEN HOPE (f Daylami: Letheby & Christopher Cheshire Oaks LR, 2nd Bet365 Lancashire Oaks G2, Prix de Pomone G2), Rosse (f Kris: 2nd Charles Heidsieck Marshall S LR), Nyarhini (f Fantastic Light: 3rd 32red.com Lupe S LR, intercasino.co.uk Masaka S LR), Nuryandra (f Reference Point: 3rd Chesham S LR). Grandam of TOKEN OF LOVE, OUR OBSESSION, MISS PINKERTON, BROCCO BABE, Grand Central, Fidelia, Farringdon. Third dam of GOLDONI, This Is The Day, Vanity Rules.

Broodmare Sire: DUBAI DESTINATION. Sire of the dams of 8 Stakes winners. In 2015 - GOLDEN HORN Cape Cross G1, SLIGHTLY SWEET Charge Forward G3, LEXINGTON TIMES Paco Boy LR.

GOLDEN HORN b c 2012 Danzig Green Desert Foreign Courier CAPE CROSS b/br 94 Ahonoora Park Appeal Balidaress Kingmambo Dubai Destination Mysterial FLECHE D’OR b 06 Nureyev Nuryana Loralane

Northern Dancer Pas de Nom Sir Ivor Courtly Dee Lorenzaccio Helen Nichols Balidar Innocence Mr Prospector Miesque Alleged Mysteries Northern Dancer Special Habitat Lora

There were understandable questions prior to the Derby about whether the best-qualified contender, the unbeaten Dante Stakes winner Golden Horn, would stay the distance.

After all, a mile had been the preferred distance of his sire Cape Cross, broodmare sire Dubai Destination and second dam Nuryana.

There were some grounds for optimism, though. Cape Cross had previously enjoyed his finest moments as a stallion as the sire of the magnificent Derby winner Sea The Stars and the Oaks winner Ouija Board, who in turn produced the 2014 Derby winner Australia. And – to clutch at straws – Golden Horn is inbred 4 x 5 to Lorenzaccio, a horse who will always be remembered for spoiling Nijinsky’s final appearance, in the 1970 Champion Stakes. A previous example of inbreeding to Lorenzaccio was Definite Article.

Although Definite Article had the top

sprinters Indian Ridge and Moorestyle as his sire and broodmare sire, he failed by only a short head to land the Irish Derby. With Definite Article, though, the inbreeding was 3 x 3, as opposed to 4 x 5.

Of course Golden Horn answered all the doubters by staying on in great style to take the Derby very decisively.

This means that Hascombe and Valiant Studs have now bred winners of the 2,000 Guineas (Footstepsinthesand), 1,000 Guineas (On The House) and the Derby, with On The House’s win coming during the stewardship of Sir Philip Oppenheimer, late father of current owner Anthony. This represents a truly outstanding achievement given the comparative smallness of the Hascombe broodmare band.

For connoisseurs of female lines, there is little fault to be found with Golden Horn’s. His tenth dam is Lady Josephine, who found lasting fame as the dam of those celebrated broodmares Lady Juror and Mumtaz Mahal. It is the latter who ranks as Golden Horn’s ninth dam and the two are connected by Mumtaz Begum (dam of champion sire Nasrullah), Sun Princess (dam of top sire Royal Charger), Tessa Gillian (runner-up in the 1,000 Guineas), Courtessa (dam of the King’s Stand Stakes winner D’Urberville) and Lora (dam of On The House), with the last three links being Loralane, Nuryana and Fleche d’Or. This family has therefore supplied two of Hascombe’s Classic winners.

Nuryana, a Listed winner at three, produced consecutive Group-winning foals in Mystic Knight (Derby Trial) and Rebecca Sharp (Coronation Stakes). Golden Horn’s fourth dam is Lora, a mare by Klairon’s son Lorenzaccio out of Courtessa. This means that Lora was a three-partssister to Klairessa, the Klairon mare who produced the brilliant sprinter Habibti. Klairessa was herself a sister to D’Urberville. Golden Horn’s dam Fleche d’Or never raced but she is proving a very worthy member of this revered female line. Her first foal, the Champs Elysees filly Eastern Belle, was second in the Gr2 New York Stakes on the day before the Derby.

Unfortunately for Hascombe, Fleche d’Or was sold for 62,000gns in 2012.

A branch of the Mumtaz Mahal family has also enjoyed tremendous success in Australia, thanks to Sun Princess’ great-grand-daughters Klairessa and No Relation. They have many Gr1-winning descendants, including Horse of the Year Octagonal. The fact that Klairessa and No Relation are similarly-bred daughters of Klairon adds to the suspicion that the inbreeding to Klairon’s son Lorenzaccio has relevance to Golden Horn’s class.

60 GRAN PREMIO DI MILANO G1 MILAN. Jun 7. 3yo+. 2400m.

1. DYLAN MOUTH (IRE) 4 9-7 b c by Dylan Thomas - Cottonmouth (Noverre) O-Scuderia Effevi SRL B-Azienda Agricola Mariano TR-Stefano Botti

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DATABOOK BOOK DATA STAKESRESULTS RESULTS STAKES

European Group 1s 2. Billabong (MOR) 6 9-7 ch h by Gentlewave - Lunattori (Vettori) O-Mr A. El Alami B-Stud Jalobey TR-P. Bary 3. Celticus (IRE) 5 9-7 b h by Stroll - Bois Joli (Orpen) O-Scuderia Effevi SRL B-Azienda Agricola Mariano TR-Stefano Botti Margins 5, 4.5. Time 2:26.70. Going Good.

Age 2-4

Starts 10

Wins 9

Places 0

Earned £555,358

Sire: DYLAN THOMAS. Sire of 21 Stakes winners. In 2015 - BLAZING SPEED Sadler’s Wells G1, DYLAN MOUTH Noverre G1, PETHER’S MOON Tirol G1, NIGHTFLOWER Peintre Celebre G2, DYLANSON Canny Lad LR, NOT LISTENIN’TOME Encosta de Lago LR, PORSENNA Hussonet LR, WILD ASH Giant’s Causeway LR. 1st Dam: COTTONMOUTH by Noverre. 12 wins at 2 to 5 in Italy, Premio Verziere G3. Dam of 2 winners: 2011: DYLAN MOUTH (c Dylan Thomas). 9 wins at 2 to 4 in Italy, Gran Premio del Jockey Club G1, Gran Premio di Milano G1, Derby Italiano G2, Premio Federico Tesio G2, Premio Carlo d’Alessio G3, Premio Emanuele Filiberto LR. 2012: PROMISSORY NOTE (f Rock of Gibraltar) Winner at 2 in Italy.

2013: Per Un Dixir (c Holy Roman Emperor) unraced to date.

2014: (f Lawman) 2nd Dam: NAFZIRA by Darshaan. 1 win at 2 in France.

Dam of COTTONMOUTH (f Noverre, see above), JUMBO RIO (g Captain Rio: Ballymore Champion 4yo Hurdle G1, 3rd Golf Centre Festival December Hurdle G1, 2nd Prix Renaud du Vivier Hurdle G1, Prix Alain du Breil d’Ete 4yo Hurdle G1) Broodmare Sire: NOVERRE. Sire of the dams of 5 Stakes winners. In 2015 - DYLAN MOUTH Dylan Thomas G1, UNDER THE LOUVRE Excellent Art LR.

DYLAN MOUTH b c 2011 Northern Dancer Pas de Nom His Majesty Spring Adieu Sharpen Up Diesis Doubly Sure Mount Hagen Wrap It Up Doc Nan Blushing Groom Rahy Glorious Song Northern Dancer Danseur Fabuleux Fabuleux Jane Shirley Heights Darshaan Delsy Green Dancer Nafzawa Nawazish Danzig

Danehill

Razyana DYLAN THOMAS b 03 Lagrion

Noverre COTTONMOUTH b 04 Nafzira

On Derby Day Dylan Thomas sprang

a surprise when his son Pether’s Moon took the Coronation Cup. Little more than 24 hours later the 2007 Arc winner was again in the news – this time more predictably – when his four-year-old son Dylan Mouth took another of Europe’s mile-and-a-half Gr1 events, the Gran Premio di Milano, winning easily from the Moroccan-bred Billabong.

This was Dylan Mouth’s ninth win from ten starts. This Derby Italiano hero’s winning margins have often been substantial, including in the Premio Federico Tesio and the Gr1 Gran Premio del Jockey Club, with his only defeat coming when he cut little ice on his visit to Royal Ascot for the King Edward VII Stakes.

Dylan Mouth’s dam Cottonmouth was a very useful performer in Italy, where she won 12 of her 27 starts, including the Gr3 Premio Verziere over a mile and a quarter.

Cottonmouth’s sire, the Sussex Stakes winner Noverre, was best at a

mile but there is plenty of stamina in the bottom half of Dylan Mouth’s pedigree. His second dam Nafzira is

by Darshaan, his third dam Nafzawa was by Green Dancer and his fourth dam, the Listed winner Nawazish, was

by Run The Gantlet. This is a family developed by the Aga Khan and Dylan Mouth’s fifth dam Nilmeen was a half-sister to Sharmeen, dam of the brilliant Shergar.

Dylan Mouth: prolific winner

Group 2 and 3 Races Date 04/05 04/05 05/05 06/05 07/05 07/05 08/05 08/05 09/05 10/05 10/05 10/05 10/05 10/05 10/05 11/05 13/05 13/05 13/05 13/05 14/05 14/05 14/05 15/05 17/05 17/05 17/05 17/05 17/05 23/05 23/05 23/05 24/05 24/05 24/05 25/05 28/05 28/05 29/05 30/05 30/05 30/05 30/05 31/05 31/05 31/05 31/05 31/05 31/05 31/05 01/06 04/06 05/06 05/06 06/06 07/06 07/06

94

Grade G3 G3 G2 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G2 G2 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G2 G3 G3 G3 G2 G2 G3 G2 G2 G3 G3 G3 G3 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G3 G2 G3 G3 G2 G2 G3 G3 G3 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G3 G3 G2 G3 G3 G3 G2 G3

Race (course) Canford Cliffs EBF Athasi Stakes (Curragh) So You Think EBF Mooresbridge Stakes (Curragh) Prix Greffulhe (Saint-Cloud) Prix d’Hedouville (Longchamp) Betfair Huxley Stakes (Chester) MBNA Chester Vase (Chester) Prix de Guiche (Chantilly) Boodles Diamond Ormonde Stakes (Chester) Betfred Chartwell Stakes (Lingfield Park) Gerling Preis (Cologne) Prix Hocquart (Longchamp) Ard Glen Amethyst Stakes (Leopardstown) Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial (Leopardstown) Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial Stakes (Leopardstown) Prix de Saint-Georges (Longchamp) Prix Texanita (Maisons-Laffitte) Duke of York Clipper Logistics Stakes (York) Irish National Stud EBF Blue Wind Stakes (Naas) Prix Cleopatre (Saint-Cloud) Tattersalls Musidora Stakes (York) Betfred Dante Stakes (York) Betfred Middleton Stakes (York) Comer Group Int. Oleander Rennen (Berlin-Hoppegarten) Betway Yorkshire Cup (York) Derby Italiano 10elotto (Rome) pferdewetten.de Bavarian Classic (Hannover) Coolmore Vintage Crop Stakes (Navan) Premio Carlo d’Alessio (Rome) Premio Tudini (Rome) Lanwades Stud Ridgewood Pearl Stakes (Curragh) Weatherbys Ireland Greenlands Stakes (Curragh) betfred.com Temple Stakes (Haydock Park) Diana Trial (Berlin-Hoppegarten) Prix Vicomtesse Vigier (Longchamp) Airlie Stud Gallinule Stakes (Curragh) Mehl-Mulhens Rennen (2000 Guineas) (Cologne) Cantor Fitzgerald Henry II Stakes (Sandown Park) CantorFitzgerald Brigadier Gerard Stakes (Sandown Park) Prix Corrida (Saint-Cloud) 888sport Sandy Lane Stakes (Haydock Park) 888sport Pinnacle Stakes (Haydock Park) Timeform Jury John of Gaunt Stakes (Haydock Park) Prix du Palais Royal-Beachcomer Hotels (Longchamp) Grand Prix de Chantilly (Chantilly) Prix de Sandringham (Chantilly) Prix du Gros-Chene - Equida Alive (Chantilly) Preis vom Gestut Auenquelle (1000 Gns) (Dusseldorf) Oaks d’Italia (Milan) Premio Carlo Vittadini (Milan) Prix de Royaumont - RMC (Chantilly) Racing Post Lacken Stakes (Naas) Badener Meile (Baden-Baden) Investec Diomed Stakes (Epsom Downs) Investec Princess Elizabeth Stakes (Epsom Downs) Prix Paul de Moussac (Chantilly) G. P. der Badischen Unternehmer Rennen (Baden-Baden) TRM Ballyogan Stakes (Curragh)

Dist 7f 10f 10f 12f 10f 12f 9f 13f 7f 12f 11f 8f 8f 10f 5f 5.5f 6f 10f 10.5f 10f 10f 10.5f 16f 14f 11f 10f 14f 12f 6f 8f 6f 5f 10f 15.5f 10f 8f 16f 10f 10.5f 6f 11.5f 7f 7f 12f 8f 5f 8f 11f 8f 12f 6f 8f 8.5f 8.5f 8f 11f 6f

Horse Iveagh Gardens (IRE) Fascinating Rock (IRE) Sumbal (IRE) Meleagros (IRE) Maverick Wave (USA) Hans Holbein (GB) War Dispatch (USA) Clever Cookie (GB) Majestic Queen (IRE) Guardini (FR) Ampere (FR) Onenightidreamed (IRE) Kissed By Angels (IRE) Success Days (IRE) Mecca’s Angel (IRE) Goken (FR) Glass Office (GB) Pleascach (IRE) Little Nightingale (FR) Star of Seville (GB) Golden Horn (GB) Secret Gesture (GB) Ephraim (GB) Snow Sky (GB) Goldstream (ITY) Quasillo (GER) Forgotten Rules (IRE) Dylan Mouth (IRE) Falest (IRE) Brooch (USA) Mustajeeb (GB) Pearl Secret (GB) Nightflower (IRE) Bathyrhon (GER) Curvy (GB) Karpino (GER) Vent de Force (GB) Western Hymn (GB) Treve (FR) Adaay (IRE) Miss Marjurie (IRE) Cable Bay (IRE) Rosso Corsa (GB) Manatee (GB) Impassable (IRE) Muthmir (IRE) Full Rose (GB) Lovelyn (GER) Kaspersky (IRE) Kataniya (IRE) Anthem Alexander (IRE) Amaron (GB) Arod (IRE) Arabian Queen (IRE) Almanaar (GB) Ito (GER) Ainippe (IRE)

Age 4 4 3 6 4 3 3 7 5 4 3 4 3 3 4 3 5 3 3 3 3 5 4 4 3 3 5 4 6 4 4 6 3 5 3 3 4 4 5 3 5 4 4 4 3 5 3 3 4 3 3 6 4 3 3 4 3

Sex F C C H C C C G M C C G F C F C H F F F C M C C C C G C H F C H F H F C C G M C M C C C F G F F C F F H C F G C F

Sire Mastercraftsman Fastnet Rock Danehill Dancer King’s Best Elusive Quality Montjeu War Front Primo Valentino Kheleyf Dalakhani Galileo Footstepsinthesand Galileo Jeremy Dark Angel Kendargent Verglas Teofilo Muhtathir Duke of Marmalade Cape Cross Galileo Rail Link Nayef Martino Alonso Sea The Stars Nayef Dylan Thomas Refuse To Bend Empire Maker Nayef Compton Place Dylan Thomas Monsun Galileo Cape Cross Hurricane Run High Chaparral Motivator Kodiac Marju Invincible Spirit Footstepsinthesand Monsun Invincible Spirit Invincible Spirit Aqlaam Tiger Hill Footstepsinthesand Raven’s Pass Starspangledbanner Shamardal Teofilo Dubawi Dubawi Adlerflug Captain Rio

Dam Woodland Chant Miss Polaris Alix Road Viola Royale Misty Ocean Llia Photograph Mystic Memory Night Fairy Guantana Amorama Pivotalia Lillie Langtry Malaica Folga Gooseley Chope Oval Office Toirneach L’Etoile de Moscou Stage Presence Fleche d’Or Shastye Enrica Winter Silence Imco Imagination Quetena Utterly Heaven Cottonmouth Mandolin Daring Diva Rifqah Our Little Secret Night of Magic Be My Lady Frappe Kahara Capriolla Blue Rhapsody Trevise Lady Lucia Kazatzka Rose de France Lady Scarlett Galatee Gwenseb Fairy of The Night Tasjeel Laurella Croanda Katiykha Lady Alexander Amandalini My Personal Space Barshiba Baqah Iota Imitation

Broodmare Sire War Chant Polar Falcon Linamix Royal Academy Stormy Atlantic Shirley Heights Unbridled’s Song Ela-Mana-Mou Danehill Dynaformer Sri Pekan Pivotal Danehill Dancer Roi Gironde Atraf Indian Rocket Pursuit of Love Thunder Gulch Peintre Celebre Selkirk Dubai Destination Danehill Niniski Dansili Darshaan Acatenango Danehill Noverre Sabrehill Dansili Elusive Quality Rossini Peintre Celebre Be My Guest Inchinor Sadler’s Wells In The Wings Cape Cross Anabaa Royal Applause Groom Dancer Diktat Woodman Galileo Green Tune Danehill Aljabr Acatenango Grand Lodge Darshaan Night Shift Bertolini Rahy Barathea Bahhare Tiger Hill Darshaan

Index 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117

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Jul_131_DrStatz-DataBook-Stallion Stats_Layout 1 24/06/2015 09:35 Page 95

DATA BOOK EXCLUSIVE STALLION STATS – FOR THE LATEST SIRE LISTS GO TO WWW.OWNERBREEDER.CO.UK

Leading sires 2015 by percentage of stakes winners to runners Name

Monsun Dubawi Sea The Stars Shamardal Lope de Vega Fastnet Rock Galileo Dalakhani Scarface Invincible Spirit Paco Boy Teofilo Danehill Dancer Mastercraftsman Nayef Raven's Pass War Front Authorized Cape Cross Dark Angel Le Havre Win River Win Hurricane Run Dutch Art Makfi Oasis Dream Dylan Thomas Muhtathir Divine Light Mujahid Compton Place Dansili Strike The Gold High Chaparral Silver Frost Footstepsinthesand Luxor Kheleyf King's Best Bahamian Bounty Siyouni Whipper Duke Of Marmalade Aussie Rules Rip Van Winkle Okawango

YOF

1990 2002 2006 2002 2007 2001 1998 2000 2003 1997 2005 2004 1993 2006 1998 2005 2002 2004 1994 2005 2006 1999 2002 2004 2007 2000 2003 1995 1995 1996 1994 1996 1988 1999 2006 2002 2000 2001 1997 1994 2007 2001 2004 2003 2006 1998

Sire

Rnrs

Wnrs

%WR

Königsstuhl Dubai Millennium Cape Cross Giant's Causeway Shamardal Danehill Sadler's Wells Darshaan Montjeu Green Desert Desert Style Galileo Danehill Danehill Dancer Gulch Elusive Quality Danzig Montjeu Green Desert Acclamation Noverre Virginia Rapids Montjeu Medicean Dubawi Green Desert Danehill Elmaamul Sunday Silence Danzig Indian Ridge Danehill Alydar Sadler's Wells Verglas Giant's Causeway Distant Relative Green Desert Kingmambo Cadeaux Genereux Pivotal Miesque's Son Danehill Danehill Galileo Kingmambo

48 147 75 170 67 72 185 80 20 187 69 139 116 121 102 52 26 105 139 167 85 59 64 129 65 164 138 69 71 75 76 116 41 150 51 155 52 157 109 112 57 118 129 140 72 74

20 54 29 65 26 22 54 22 7 64 17 46 40 32 28 18 8 35 47 52 27 17 26 36 23 48 46 25 24 42 22 32 21 41 18 50 19 47 28 24 16 25 38 49 17 24

41.67 36.73 38.67 38.24 38.81 30.56 29.19 27.50 35.00 34.22 24.64 33.09 34.4 26.45 27.45 34.62 30.77 33.33 33.81 31.14 31.76 28.81 40.63 27.91 35.38 29.27 33.33 36.23 33.80 56.00 28.95 27.59 51.22 27.33 35.29 32.26 36.54 29.94 25.69 21.43 28.07 21.19 29.46 35.00 23.61 32.43

Races

AWD

Earnings (£)

SH

23 70 34 91 33 30 60 27 11 79 22 64 56 42 34 22 12 38 61 70 33 30 35 44 30 58 63 36 36 59 29 41 33 49 22 69 32 60 34 32 19 31 60 68 20 34

11.4 9.7 9.8 8.3 7.8 9.0 10.3 11.2 8.7 7.2 6.9 9.8 8.8 10.7 9.6 9.3 7.1 11.2 9.7 7.1 8.6 8.5 11.7 7.4 8.8 8.3 9.0 9.4 8.1 8.4 6.1 10.3 9.0 10.4 8.7 8.0 7.6 7.6 9.9 6.5 7.7 8.5 9.6 9.3 8.1 8.4

449,793 2,274,691 588,209 1,407,776 475,180 791,687 1,786,842 425,682 300,950 1,354,965 262,829 1,014,862 1,112,549 563,893 493,101 322,770 269,720 450,727 1,777,926 996,548 467,217 530,325 401,754 398,984 527,621 877,426 733,840 486,362 811,918 344,057 262,733 577,648 554,070 702,689 264,997 714,043 571,980 474,926 506,934 309,759 513,447 406,824 1,056,163 649,161 279,623 541,492

10 21 10 22 7 6 27 7 1 15 3 12 9 7 5 3 3 5 11 17 6 3 5 5 4 10 7 4 3 2 3 9 1 8 1 7 1 4 4 5 5 3 7 7 3 1

%

20.83 14.29 13.33 12.94 10.45 8.33 14.59 8.75 5.00 8.02 4.35 8.63 7.76 5.79 4.90 5.77 11.54 4.76 7.91 10.18 7.06 5.08 7.81 3.88 6.15 6.10 5.07 5.80 4.23 2.67 3.95 7.76 2.44 5.33 1.96 4.52 1.92 2.55 3.67 4.46 8.77 2.54 5.43 5.00 4.17 1.35

SW

%

5 11 5 11 4 4 10 4 1 9 3 6 5 5 4 2 1 4 5 6 3 2 2 4 2 5 4 2 2 2 2 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1

10.42 7.48 6.67 6.47 5.97 5.56 5.41 5.00 5.00 4.81 4.35 4.32 4.31 4.13 3.92 3.85 3.85 3.81 3.60 3.59 3.53 3.39 3.13 3.10 3.08 3.05 2.90 2.90 2.82 2.67 2.63 2.59 2.44 2.00 1.96 1.94 1.92 1.91 1.83 1.79 1.75 1.69 1.55 1.43 1.39 1.35

Hard battle brewing It is three years since Monsun died but he is still a factor in what can almost be regarded as ‘his’ table. His pattern winners are three-year-old Shimrano (Gr2 Union-Rennen), four-year-old Manatee (Gr2 Grand Prix de Chantilly), five-year-old Bathyrhon (Gr2 Prix Vicomtesse Viger) and five-year-old Arab Spring (Gr3 John Porter). That represents a splendid start to the season.

Dubawi is having a sensational campaign, with 11 stakes winners from 147 runners. This compares with ten from 185 for Galileo, and there is every chance Dubawi will give the Coolmore sire a hard battle.

He has had three Gr1 winners in Europe, Al Kazeem in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, New Bay in the Prix du Jockey Club and Night Of Thunder in the Lockinge. There are also four elsewhere, Hunter’s Light, Prince Bishop, Shamal Wind and Srikandi.

Dubawi’s fee this year was £125,000.

This is a good year for Darley sires since Shamardal, aged only 13 like Dubawi, also has 11 stakes winners.

Leading sires of two-year-olds 2015 by earnings Name

Dark Angel Kodiac Acclamation *Zoffany Exceed And Excel Equiano Zebedee Royal Applause Invincible Spirit *Roderic O'Connor Showcasing Lion Heart Bushranger Intense Focus Pastoral Pursuits *Canford Cliffs Naaqoos Approve Sunday Break Namid Diamond Green Victory Gallop Kheleyf Siyouni Turtle Bowl Teofilo Paco Boy Desert Style Slickly *Lilbourne Lad Vertigineux Sakhee's Secret Makfi Elusive City Zanzibari Country Reel Bahamian Bounty Dandy Man Dutch Art *Frozen Power Rip Van Winkle *Never On Sunday American Post Raven's Pass Stormy River Myboycharlie

YOF

2005 2001 1999 2008 2000 2005 2008 1993 1997 2008 2007 2001 2006 2006 2001 2007 2006 2008 1999 1996 2001 1995 2001 2007 2002 2004 2005 1992 1996 2009 2004 2004 2007 2000 2007 2000 1994 2003 2004 2007 2006 2005 2001 2005 2003 2005

Sire

Rnrs

Wnrs

Acclamation Danehill Royal Applause Dansili Danehill Acclamation Invincible Spirit Waajib Green Desert Galileo Oasis Dream Tale Of The Cat Danetime Giant's Causeway Bahamian Bounty Tagula Oasis Dream Oasis Dream Forty Niner Indian Ridge Green Desert Cryptoclearance Green Desert Pivotal Dyhim Diamond Galileo Desert Style Green Desert Linamix Acclamation Nombre Premier Sakhee Dubawi Elusive Quality Smart Strike Danzig Cadeaux Genereux Mozart Medicean Oasis Dream Galileo Sunday Break Bering Elusive Quality Verglas Danetime

32 62 27 19 21 25 38 20 18 13 22 10 26 16 17 22 5 25 6 6 9 9 24 6 9 3 13 2 7 22 4 26 5 7 4 5 13 10 14 21 8 5 4 12 3 7

14 13 8 6 6 7 9 8 6 3 6 5 6 3 5 4 1 5 4 3 2 3 4 2 3 2 3 1 2 4 1 5 2 3 1 3 3 2 4 5 2 2 2 4 1 3

%WR

43.7 20.97 29.63 31.58 28.57 28.00 23.68 40.00 33.33 23.08 27.27 50.00 23.08 18.75 29.41 18.18 20.00 20.00 66.67 50.00 22.22 33.33 16.67 33.33 33.33 66.67 23.08 50.00 28.57 18.18 25.00 19.23 40.00 42.86 25.00 60.00 23.08 20.00 28.57 23.81 25.00 40.00 50.00 33.33 33.33 42.86

Races

AWD

Earnings (£)

18 14 9 7 9 8 11 8 7 4 7 5 6 5 6 4 1 6 4 4 2 4 4 2 4 3 4 3 3 4 3 6 3 3 2 3 4 3 5 5 3 2 2 4 2 3

5.5 5.2 5.5 5.3 5.7 5.1 5.3 5.5 5.3 6.1 5.1 4.9 5.0 5.7 5.5 5.5 5.0 5.3 5.4 5.3 5.7 5.1 5.5 5.2 5.8 5.3 5.3 5.1 5.8 5.3 4.9 5.4 5.3 5.6 5.7 4.8 5.5 5.0 5.3 6.0 5.3 5.5 5.5 5.8 4.7 5.1

193,337 111,031 98,993 90,894 86,944 74,918 65,680 61,114 59,768 49,583 49,291 48,331 46,699 44,697 43,182 42,981 42,495 41,725 41,293 40,647 39,667 39,453 39,423 38,879 38,591 38,483 38,147 37,059 36,794 35,444 35,255 35,121 34,548 31,479 30,498 29,547 29,358 29,321 29,069 28,475 27,669 27,429 27,120 27,049 26,904 26,526

Top horse

Birchwood Areen King Of Rooks Argentero Buratino Fly On The Night Silver Wings Athas An Bhean Ali Spirit Great Page French Encore Blow The Wind Serseri Miss Elizabeth Soapy Aitken Most Beautiful Amisha Approvation Divine Victoire Goona Chope Insolito Utkunhan Wise Counsel Siderante Belgian Gentleman Round Two New Road Side Venecia Style Efily Handytalk Du Pyla Rabiosa Fiore Taking Libertys Silk Bow Marasquin Tourny Ravenhoe State Of Emergency Ottone Peppe's Island Spanish Romance Bibione Belle Postiere Vitello Clinomane Jardin Fleuri

Earned (£)

39,428 12,801 22,368 39,536 41,223 21,243 10,016 9,955 21,874 35,163 17,606 10,623 9,724 17,236 10,998 8,810 21,802 10,247 10,569 20,192 15,483 15,149 6,377 15,250 16,864 35,248 23,569 36,331 15,540 9,644 33,899 6,166 15,685 11,835 27,422 12,360 18,223 20,864 17,619 7,064 22,573 12,559 14,268 7,598 25,995 9,169

Angel sprouts wings Dark Angel invariably has plenty of winners and he has made a storming start this season with 14 from 32 runners led by Birchwood. That puts him top numerically and in prizemoney, and he also has the highest winner-to-runner ratio of any sire with more than ten runners.

It is hardly surprising he does well with juveniles. He raced only at two, when winning the Middle Park, and is by Acclamation, third in this table and always noted for imparting precocity. Based at Morristown Lattin Stud, Dark Angel stood for €27,500 this year; his fee for his first season at stud in 2008 was €10,000.

Kodiac is never far away and he is just behind the leader with 13 winners from 62 runners. The latter figure puts him well clear of Zebedee.

Among first-season sires, Zoffany has six winners, one ahead of Frozen Power and two clear of Canford Cliffs and Lilbourne Lad. Argentero and Washington DC are good adverts for Zoffany, who won the Phoenix. He trained on to do well at three.

*denotes first-season sire; statistics to June 18

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

95

Jul_131_24Hours_Owner 23/06/2015 18:25 Page 96

24 HOURS WITH… AMY STARKEY

96

GEORGE SELWYN

I

am definitely an earlymorning person and get up around six most days.

One of the first things I do is check my iPhone. Then it’s into the shower, watch a bit of BBC Breakfast news and straight out; no hot drink or anything to eat, there’s never much in my fridge!

I live at the bottom of Warren Hill and on a clear day the sun rises over the Heath and paints the inside of my flat completely golden.

Looking out of my front window straight up Warren Hill must be one of the best views in the world and completely uplifting first thing in the morning.

There are days when I am up earlier as I’ve just started a keep-fit regime and have to be with my personal trainer by six. On racedays I walk the track with Michael Prosser, Newmarket’s Director of Racing. Early morning on the track is a great time when it’s quiet and quite beautiful, a great opportunity to catch up with Michael and discuss the day ahead.

When I eventually have breakfast it’s porridge in the office. I just add hot water to a packet of oats. At Christmas my Mum gave me a sign saying: “I only have a kitchen because it came with the house.” That tells you how much cooking I do – though I have to say my one signature dish is Sunday roast.

As a Regional Director of Jockey Club Racecourses I am responsible for Newmarket’s two courses as well as Huntingdon, Market Rasen and Nottingham. That means managing 90 permanent team members and on racedays encompasses the catering, Tote, security, stewarding and the whole raceday team.

There is also the conference and non-racing event side of the business. I am lucky to be surrounded by a very strong, enthusiastic team with a great

Her gymnastic career was cut cruelly short aged ten but AMY STARKEY has vaulted to the top at Newmarket – now for the challenge of perfecting her riding to compete in the Town Plate work ethic. By nature I like to keep everyone happy all the time and I see that as the biggest challenge in my job.

I’ve been at Newmarket for three years but have overseen four QIPCO Guineas meetings and in that time attendances have increased by 35%. I am also proud of the new landmark deal with QIPCO, who will sponsor the Guineas for the next ten years. The creation of the £2m Dubai Future Champions Festival in October is another big event, sandwiched between Book 1 and Book 2 of the sales.

The positioning of the July Festival has been the source of much debate and we are open to looking at moving the

July Cup from the Saturday, with the meeting running Wednesday to Friday, so long as it is considered to be in the best interests of British racing.

I have wanted the Newmarket courses to be an integral part of the local community and in that quest have become a Town Councillor as well as a Board Director of the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce. I sit on the Newmarket Festival Committee, which raises money to invest in young people around Newmarket.

The racecourses are stakeholders in the newly created Discover Newmarket, which in six months’ trading has welcomed some 3,000

people to our local tours.

When I was working at Huntingdon in 2006 I was invited to Buckingham Palace as an ‘Achiever of the Year’, along with 300 others. The Queen came and chatted and I said we’d be delighted if she visited Huntingdon races on her way to Sandringham.

Shortly afterwards I was invited to a private lunch at the Palace with just six others.

The experience of sitting at the table with the Queen and Prince Philip was surreal.

Believe it or not, I like to go racing in my spare time and, coming from a bookmaking background, still enjoy a bet. I also love going to the beach at Holkham in North Norfolk and do a bit of cycling and sometimes swimming. My favourite holiday is snowboarding; you can’t think about work because you are concentrating hard on getting down a mountain alive.

My party trick is walking on my hands. I can still do that after all the hours spent competing in gymnastics, which I had to give up after breaking my arm as a tenyear-old. I have started a bit of horse riding but I’m only a beginner. My target is to be riding out by the end of the summer. Next year is the 350th anniversary of the Newmarket Town Plate: I’d like to ride in it.

If I cook the evening meal it is pasta or a stir-fry. Then I love to sit down to watch Homeland, Broadchurch or Downton Abbey. I know I’m a workaholic but that’s because I enjoy the job. But I do need my sleep. I go to bed about 10pm and listen to audio books. I dream but can’t remember any details, though it could be about competing in the Town Plate.

First, I must master the riding, and that’s another challenge.

Interview by Tim Richards

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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Dubawi, sire of Prix du Jockey Club winner New Bay

Cape Cross, sire of Derby winner Golden Horn

New dreams.

Golden moments.

Find them at Darley...

Worldwide earnings by European stallions European earnings by worldwide stallions Global Stakes winners in 2015 European Group winners in 2015 However you want to cut it, the prominence (even the dominance!) of Darley stallions on leading sires lists proves we not only have the finest stallions in the world but we have the support of the people who make it happen.

Hats off to the brilliant breeders who make our stallions the successes they are

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